
Class 'i> w_ &.05 

BoQk___A4GG 

Copyright N^ 



COPyRfGHT DEPOSOV 




SIX-YEAR-OLD ALFALFA PLANT GROWN IN COLORADO 



ALFALFA 

Lucerne, Spanish Trefoil, Chilian Clover, 
Brazilian Clover, French Clover, Medic, 
Purple Medic . . . [Medicago sativd) 



PRACTICAL INFORMATION 
ON ITS PRODUCTION, QUAL- 
ITIES, WORTH AND USES, ES- 
PECIALLY IN THE UNITED 
STATES AND CANADA : : : 



BY 

F. D. COBURN 

Secretary Kansas Department of Agricultfre 



fLJUXJSTRATBD.'i /^ .^ 



ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 



1901 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONCRESS, 
Two Coptee Received 

APR. 18 1901 

Copyright entry 

CLASS CO/^a, N«. 

COPY B. 



Copyright, 1901 
BY ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 



o,^^'' 



^ 



/^O 



\o 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Introdu(5lory vii 

History . . . i 

Description 2 

Varieties 4 

lycngth of lyife and Habits of Growth ... 6 
Climate and Soil Best Adapted to Alfalfa . .16 
Seed-bed: Its Preparation; Time and Method of 

Seeding 20 

Treatment and Use . . . . . . . -31 

Harvesting, and Yields 34 

Feeding Value 40 

Alfalfa in Rotation 70 

Turkestan Alfalfa — A New Hardy Variety . .73 

Alfalfa Culture and Insedl lyife 77 

Disking and Harrowing 88 

Enemies and Friends of Alfalfa 92 

Alfalfa in the Different States 102 

General Index 163 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Six-year-old Alfalfa Plant . . . Frontispiece 



PAGE 



Alfalfa Stem and Iveaves, Seeds, and Seed Pods 3 

Alfalfa Seedling 7 

Roots of Alfalfa, One to Three Years' Growth . 9 

Roots of Alfalfa, Four Years Old 11 

Roots of Alfalfa, Five Years Old . . . . .13 
Roots of Alfalfa, Five Months from Seeding . .15 

Alfalfa for Soiling 35 

Feed-box for Using Alfalfa 55 

Wagon for Handling Alfalfa and Corn . . .57 
Steers Eating Alfalfa and Corn-meal Mixed . . 59 
Roots of Alfalfa, Disked and Not Disked (Three 

Figures) 85 

Dodder Plant and Flower 96 

Alfalfa Seeds 97 

Dodder Seeds 97 

Red Clover Seeds 98 

White Clover Seeds 98 



INTRODUCTORY 



It is safe to say that in America the increase of 
interest in alfalfa has been equaled by that in no other 
agricultural produdl during the past ten years, and of 
no other has there within the same period been such a 
ratio of increase in acreage. 

This statement, however, is chiefly applicable to the 
region west and southwest of the Missouri River, as in 
the states farther east — and especially where clover is 
a reliable crop — alfalfa is yet but little known or grown, 
although reports of its great worth and yields in the 
semi-arid country are rapidly attradling attention to its 
possibilities in a vast territory where red clover has 
occupied undisputed the premier position both for 
forage and for soil renovation. 

The best illustration of quickly appreciating alfalfa 
is afforded in Kansas, where the increase in area sown 
has been from 34,384 acres in 1891 to 276,008 acres in 
1900, or more than 800 per cent. The enlarged and, 
in facft, new horizon which a proper utilization of 
alfalfa, along with some other plants of like recent 
introdudlion, opens up to farm and animal husbandry 
on millions of acres of our domain, before of uncertain 
utility, is difiicult of conception. That its adaptability 



Viii INTRODUCTORY 

for profitably supplementing, if not superceding, in the 
near future other established forage crops, heretofore 
regarded as staple if not indispensable in many por- 
tions of North America, may be demonstrated by intel- 
ligent experiment and by cultivating variations in its 
habit to suit given localities and conditions is entirely 
probable. 

Those who have known it longest and best are the 
ones everywhere who esteem it most highly; in fadl, 
very few who have once raised or used it as a feed are 
satisfied to be without it, and as a rule they contem- 
plate an enlarged acreage and increased use. The 
marvelous fadl connected with this plant so old in 
agriculture is that it comes, as it does, to so many at 
the beginning of the twentieth century as an agricul- 
tural revelation. To concisely give a wider knowledge 
of its worth and ways, to encourage its more extended 
propagation, and be helpful as to the best methods for 
its growth, care, and use, are the objedls of this 
volume. 

F. D. COBURN 
Topeka, Ka7isas 



ALFALFA 

(^Medicago sativa) 
HISTORY 

AivFALFA, or lucerne, has been cultivated since civ- 
ilization, and was familiar to the Egyptians, Medes, 
and Persians. It is said to have grown spontaneously 
in the high dry regions of southern and central Asia, 
and is mentioned in connedlion with Persia, Asia 
Minor, Afghanistan, Beloochistan, and Cashmere. At 
the time of the invasion of Greece by Xerxes, about 
450 B.C., alfalfa became known in that country, and 
preceding the Christian era was prominent in Roman 
agriculture. The Romans esteemed it highly as for- 
age for the horses of their armies, and its cultivation 
has been maintained in Italy to the present time. 
From Italy it was introduced into Spain and southern 
France, and was carried to Mexico during the Spanish 
invasion. When the Spaniard turned his attention to 
the lands of the Incas, alfalfa found its way to the 
western coast of South America, where, escaped from 
cultivation, it is said to be yet found growing wild over 
large areas. There, in the semi-arid regions of the 
Andes, it no doubt received a great strengthening of 
its already strong tendency to survive in a scorching 
sun upon a parched earth. From Chili it reached 
California in 1854, and there, mainly under irrigation, 
flourishes to-day as perhaps in no other place in the 
world. It rapidly spread eastward, and is now grown 
largely throughout the humid as well as the arid and 



2 AIvFAI^FA 

semi-arid regions of the western states and territories, 
while gradually finding favor farther east. 

Eastward from the Pacific coast was not, however, 
the only route of introducftion of alfalfa into America. 
It was early known in Germany and other northern 
countries of Europe, but never became so popular 
there as farther south. As early as 1820, years before 
it reached California, it was grown in New York, but 
seems to have been little appreciated. 

It is interesting to know that such old-time agri- 
cultural authorities as Columella and Jethro Tull were 
familiar with alfalfa. French lucerne was introduced 
into England as early as 1650, but seems to have been 
much negledled for many 3^ears. In 1765 a farmer in 
Kent had fourteen acres. It is stated that at that time 
alfalfa was recognized as increasing the milk of kine, 
but an authority who knew it well asserted that cattle 
" w^ere apt to grow tired of it and are subjedl to be 
blown by it. ' ' These statements are interesting from 
the fadl that so many consider alfalfa a new plant. 

DESCRIPTION 

Alfalfa is an upright, branching, smooth, perennial 
plant, growing one to three feet high. Its leaves are 
three-parted, each part being broadest above the middle, 
rounded in outline, and slightly toothed near the apex. 
The three parts are nearly equal in size, but the size of 
the leaves varies much on different parts of the plants 
and on different plants under different conditions. 
Each part of the full-grown leaf is usuall}^ about one 
inch long and three to four times as long as wide. The 
purple or violet pea-like flowers, instead of being in a 
head, as in red clover, are in long, loose clusters or 



DESCRIPTION 



racemes. The racemes are scattered over the plant, as 
seen in Fig. 2, instead of being borne, as in red clover, 
on the upper branches. The ripe pods are spirally 
twisted through two or three complete curves, and 




FIG. 2— ALFALFA 
a, b. Seed pods. c. Seed 

each pod contains several seeds. The seeds are kidney- 
shaped and average about one-twelfth of an inch long 
by half as thick. They are about one-half larger than 
red clover seeds, and are of a yellowish-brown or rather 
of a bright egg-yellow color, instead of a reddish or 



4 AI.FALFA 

mustard 3^ellow. The ends of the seeds are slightly 
compressed where they are crowded together in a pod. 
When growing, the field has a dark green color, turn- 
ing to purple or violet as the bloom appears, and as the 
pods ripen this is succeeded by a light to dark brown. 

BOTANICAL POSITION 

Alfalfa, or lucerne, is known botanically as Medicago 
sativa, one of the many species of plants belonging to 
the important order Leguminosae. The order lyCgu- 
minosae, or legumes, includes such plants as peas, 
beans, clovers, and vetch. They are distinguished 
mainly by the manner in which the seed is borne, 
usually in a pod-like receptacle which splits in halves 
when ripe. Of late years this order of plants has 
assumed a position of much interest and importance, in 
so far as it has been demonstrated that, in association 
with badterial organisms, the plants belonging to it have 
the power of utilizing the nitrogen of the air, which is 
the most important element of plant- food, and the one 
most easily depleted in the soil and most expensive to 
replace. The atmospheric nitrogen is not available 
to plant use except through the aid of the ba(5lerial 
organism inhabiting the nodules on the roots of the 
plants which belong to this order, called legumes. 
The only exception to this is a very few plants of 
other orders of no agricultural importance. 

VARIETIES 

Besides the cultivated form there are two which by 
some are considered as varieties of alfalfa, while others 
regard them as distincft species. They are the inter- 
mediate lucerne {^Medicago media), and the 3^ellow, or 



VARIKTIE^S 5 

sand lucerne {Medicago falcata). Neither of them 
have much agricultural value, though the yellow is 
sometimes recommended for planting in very light and 
sandy calcareous soils. It is more easily killed by 
excess of water, but is said to endure cold. It is 
probably less valuable than any other species of clover 
as a forage plant . Alfalfa seed is sometimes adulterated 
with the seeds of one or the other of the less valuable 
forms. These plants, however, are so rarely cultivated 
in the United States that there is little danger of such 
adulteration being pracfticed. 

The western alfalfa grows taller than the eastern 
lucerne, and is said to withstand drouth and freezing 
better. This is probably because it has been so long 
subjedl to the peculiar soil and climatic conditions of 
the arid regions of ChiH, California, and Colorado, 
and become well acclimated. Alfalfa in the West is 
rarely destroyed by winter freezing, although the 
temperature in certain regions in which it is largely 
grown is as low in winter as in the Eastern and New 
England states. In this latter se(?tion the plants fre- 
quently fail to survive the second season on account 
of the freezing of the roots. 

During the past few years the United States 
Department of Agriculture has been introducing an 
alfalfa found on the elevated table-lands of Asia. The 
botanical difference is expressed by Russian authorities 
as Medicago sativa Turkestanica. It is supposed, com- 
ing from the region it does, to be more hardy than 
our common alfalfa, and in a measure is gratifying its 
promoters. It will be further mentioned under the 
separate heading of " Turkestan Alfalfa." 



6 AI.FAI.FA 

I.KNGTH OF life: 

Alfalfa is a perennial, and the length of time it 
will continue to thrive, under favorable conditions, is 
a matter of conjecfture. There are fields that are in 
good condition after more than twenty-five years of 
constant cropping. Others are reported to be so after 
very much longer periods. It requires three, and 
under unfavorable conditions even four, years for 
alfalfa to reach its prime, and after seven to ten years 
a decline may generally, yet by no means always, be 
expe<5led, though if properly cared for there is no 
good reason why this should be so. lyike any other 
crop, it demands proper treatment for best results, and 
when this treatment is not given it suffers, and ceases 
to yield as it would under better conditions. 

HABITS OF GROWTH 

Alfalfa is a deep and gross feeder. The root sys- 
tem in its development is most interesting for its great 
power of penetrating, under at all favorable conditions, 
to the very bowels of the earth. The young plant 
consists of a number of low branches springing from a 
central simple basal stalk at the crown of the root. 
These branches ascend direcftly above ground in a 
clump. As the plants become older certain of the 
more robust stems elongate just beneath the surface of 
the ground and become new branch-producing stalks, 
as seen in the frontispiece. In this way one stalk, or 
rhizome, becomes two or many headed. The plant 
represented in this plate grew in Colorado, in a rich 
loose soil, with a heavy clay subsoil, and an abundant 
supply of water, the water-level ranging from four to 
eight feet from the surface at different seasons of the 




FIG. 3 — ALFALFA SEEDLING SIX WEEKS OLD 



8 AI,FAI.FA 

year. The diameter of the top was eighteen inches, 
and the number of stems 360. The picflure shows 
how these crowns gather soil around them, for the 
length of the underground stem is seen to be several 
inches, and this represents the accumulation of nearly 
this much material about the plant. This is one of 
the largest plants yet found. The specimen as photo- 
graphed was probably six years old. The root system 
at first consists of a simple tap-root with numerous 
small lateral branches. The main root often divides 
a few inches or a greater distance below the crown, 
and such divisions occur several times as the root 
extends downward (Fig. 3), but the main parts of 
the root grow downward rather than laterally, as seen 
in Fig. 4. 

As the crown becomes broader from the extension 
of the lateral branches, new roots are sent down from 
these stems, until after several years as many roots 
may be found descending from what was originally a 
single stalk. These lateral branches often become 
mutilated, accidentally by the trampling of animals or 
intentionally by use of the disk-harrow, and a portion 
of a stem is made entirely dependent upon the root 
descending from it, and becomes an apparently inde- 
pendent plant. This fa(5l makes the disk-cutter an 
important means of greatly increasing the number of 
plants in a field. When the stems which grow above 
ground are cut or grazed off closely they die down to 
the underground stem, or crown, and new branches 
are produced from new buds. This method of growth 
explains why alfalfa is so often injured bj^ continuous 
close grazing. The stems of most other foliage plants, 
when cut or grazed off, branch out from lateral buds 




FIG. 4 — ALFALFA ROOTS OF ONE TO THREE YEARS' GROWTH 
AT NEBRASKA EXPERIMENT STATION 



iO AI^FALFA 

above ground, and new branches soon replace the old 
ones, while with alfalfa the new growth comes diredlly 
from the crown. If every young stem is closely grazed 
as soon as it appears the vitality of the root is im- 
paired and the plant dies. Moderate grazing does not 
injure the plants, and cutting when about one-fourth 
or one-third of the blossoms have opened seems to be 
the most favorable time. The plant at this stage has 
not so exhausted its strength as when more fully 
matured, and more readily sends out a vigorous suc- 
ceeding growth than if cut earlier. Alfalfa is invigor- 
ated by cutting at the proper time — a most important 
fadl to be considered during the first year of growth. 

PENETRATING POWER OF AI.FAI.FA ROOTS 

To those not acquainted with this plant the fac5ls 
will seem incredible. The penetrating power of the 
alfalfa root is equaled only by that of the desert sage- 
brush of the western plains. Under favorable condi- 
tions of soil and climate the roots will have penetrated 
to a depth of five feet in six months. Many instances 
are on record of roots having been dug up or otherwise 
exposed, some of which showed a length and penetra- 
tion of thirty-eight feet, while even the greater depths 
of fifty and sixty-six feet, and more, are recorded. 
Many times the failure to secure a stand of alfalfa is 
attributed to a hard subsurface soil; this is not the 
fault if there be enough moisture in the soil to support 
the young plant until it once establishes its root 
system. 

At the Kansas Agricultural College a trench was 
dug through an alfalfa field for laying a water-pipe. 
It was late in the fall, following a favorable season, 




FIG. 5— ROOTS OF FOUR-YEAR-OLD ALFALFA PLANTS AT 
KANSAS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



and the alfalfa had yielded three crops. In the greater 
portion of this trench it was necessary after removing 
a spade's depth from the top to use a pick to loosen 
the soil, which was so hard that the men ordinarily 
did not at one blow drive the picks into it more than 
two inches; yet, notwithstanding the hardness of this 
clay soil, alfalfa roots had penetrated the depth of the 
ditch, five and one-half feet in the deepest place, where 
the roots appeared little smaller in diameter than they 
were a foot below the surface (Figs. 5 and 6). 

When the alfalfa is once established, if there is 
sufficient moisture to maintain the plant, it sends its 
roots in quest of permanent moisture, and is only pre- 
vented from reaching it by stone itself. The roots 
have a strong and well- developed power of passing 
around obstacles such as stones and boulders, and no 
crevice is so small as to escape them in their downward 
journeyings. Fig. 7 shows the development of alfalfa 
roots in five months from seeding at the Kansas State 
Agricultural College. The seeds were sown May ist, 
and the photograph made October ist of the same 
year. The growth shown was on high upland, seventy 
feet to water, in a very old field never fertilized in any 
way so far as known. The surface soil is black to 
a depth of about twelve inches; below this and con- 
tinuing as deep as excavated is a very stiff, hard, red 
clay, full of small whitish stones. The top twelve 
inches of the soil within the period of growth had been 
wet by late rains, but the succeeding two and one-half 
feet was so very hard and dry that it could not be 
spaded at all. At five feet below the surface the soil 
was moist, and the five and one-half feet of root which 
penetrated the soil five feet — six inches being taken 




FIG. 6 — ROOTS OF FIVE-YEAR-OLD ALFALFA PLANTS AT 
KANSAS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



14 ALFALFA 

up in its zigzags — reached moist soil. The shortest 
plant is from what is known as a " gumbo ' ' spot, yet 
in spite of the extremely hard subsoil it pushed its root 
downward thirty inches in the five months. The sea- 
son was most unfavorable for seeding to alfalfa or any 
other crop. These plants were treated as nearly as 
possible according to the methods suggested in this 
volume; they were cut with a mowing-machine three 
times during the season. 

Mr. Charles W. Irish, chief of ' ' Irrigation Inquiry, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture," in an article on 
' * Alfalfa and Where to Grow It, " makes the following 
interesting observation: " The writer had an opportu- 
nity to observe the great depth to which alfalfa roots 
will penetrate in search of moisture, while making a 
survey of a mining tunnel in Nevada a few years 
since. The tunnel was driven into a rock known to 
miners as ' rotten porphyry. ' It was much shattered 
and seamed, and through the crevices in the rock in 
the roof of the tunnel water came out drop by drop; 
through the same crevices came also roots of plants; 
these were found to be alfalfa roots, which came down 
from an old field of the plant over the tunnel through 
a depth of soil and rock of 129 feet." 

This unusual penetrating power is of the greatest 
agricultural importance. The alfalfa thereby not only 
obtains its food from far below the root-range of ordi- 
nary crops, thus leaving the surface store for shallower 
feeders, but when these deep-boring roots die and 
decay they leave not only their own fertilizing proper- 
ties but innumerable openings for air and moisture and 
humus from the surface to penetrate. This, at first 
thought, might not appear of much importance, but in 




FIG. 7— ALFALFA ROOTS IN FIVE MONTHS FROM SEEDING 
AT KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



I 6 ALFALFA 

a well-set alfalfa field five 3^ears old, five feet below the 
surface, there would be from ten to thirty roots to each 
square foot, averaging an eighth of an inch in diam- 
eter, reaching dire(5fly from the surface. With this 
fa(5l known, the value of alfalfa as both a subsoiler and 
fertilizer is more easily appreciated. 

CLIMATE AND SOIL 

Alfalfa likes a warm climate with a moderate rain- 
fall and a deep alluvial soil of calcareous origin. It 
has more than the usual variability in adapting itself 
to the changes in environment, and this affords an 
argument in favor of "home-grown seed," or using 
seed from a locality similar to that in which it is desired 
the future crop be grown. Without detracfting from 
this statement, it may be said there are certain limits 
which determine the largest prosperity for alfalfa. 
The limit for rainfall — underground soakage and irri- 
gation not considered — is between fourteen and forty 
inches. The plant does not grow to be a valuable 
crop in regions with a less annual rainfall than four- 
teen inches, unless there is evident underground soak- 
age, or it can be irrigated; and in regions receiving 
over forty inches of rainfall it does not appear to 
thrive well. The mean between the extremes men- 
tioned, twenty-five to thirty inches, gives best results. 
Alfalfa may be said to respond to irrigation as docs no 
other crop. It requires a sufficient supply of moisture 
at a certain time in its growth to enable it to be most 
prosperous, and the intelligent irrigator is abundantly 
rewarded for his painstaking in proper w^atering. 

Alfalfa succeeds in a variety of soils, but reaches 
its greatest perfedlion on the deep alluvial sandy loams 



CivIMATK AND SOII^ 17 

of river and creek valleys, or "bottoms." It prefers 
a light to a heavy soil, but in many localities is grown 
on the heavy black gumbo flats, and seems to do fully 
as well or better than on lighter sandy soils. I^ime is 
the favorite mineral element of alfalfa, and iron is very 
detrimental to it, hence localities with * ' hard ' ' water 
are more favorable than those with " soft " water; iron 
is seldom present in sufficient quantities to be harmful, 
although it is useless to attempt to grow alfalfa upon 
land known to contain iron in abundance. 

A soil of decaying limestone or calcareous origin is 
ideal, as it will abound in alfalfa's favorite element, 
lime, and contain, besides, potash, magnesia, phos- 
phoric acid, and sulphur. It thrives exceedingly well 
on soil of almost entirely sand, providing the water- 
table is in reach of its root and the underflow contains 
mineral elements sufficient to supply abundance of 
food. It thrives closer to the edge of alkali sinks of 
the plains than ordinar}^ plants, in a measure accounted 
for by its being a gross feeder upon some of the iden- 
tical mineral elements composing the alkali. 

Alfalfa will not grow on swampy land. It is a 
common remark that it will not stand wet feet; that 
should be qualified, but the land must have good 
drainage. Water must never stand on the surface of 
the field for forty-eight hours, and free water must not 
be present in the soil continuously too near the surface. 
It has been reported that alfalfa has succeeded where 
the underflow was within eighteen inches to two feet of 
the surface, but it came no higher. It does no harm 
to have the lower roots reach permanent water, as 
when they do they go no deeper, and remain healthy. 

While alfalfa roots deeply it is not essential that 



I 8 ALFALFA 

the soil be of great depth, providing it is sufficiently 
moist and contains plenty of plant-food. The land 
need not be the richest, but it is a mistake to expe(5l 
much from alfalfa on land too thin. It will respond 
on thin land remarkably well, but not to the best 
advantage; it is not, however, too broad a statement 
to say that alfalfa will do well on any well-drained soil 
that will profitably grow wheat or corn. It also fol- 
lows in drier sections that land which will thriftily 
grow artificially planted trees will produce alfalfa. It 
has been seeded successfully upon newly broken wild 
prairie sod, but it is best to grow several crops of some- 
thing else before attempting alfalfa. 

In trans- Missouri prairie regions ground cultivated 
three to five years or longer from first breaking is pref- 
erable. There are several reasons for this. It is 
difiicult to get the new land in the proper condition for 
a seed-bed. The grass roots hold the soil loose and it 
dries out more readily on the surface, which is often 
disastrous. New ground always responds with ordi- 
nary crops more satisfactorily and the available plant- 
food in the immediate surface can be taken up by 
shallow-growing crops and the soil be no less suited to 
alfalfa. 

The depth to the water-table does not determine 
whether a tra(5l of land will be suitable for alfalfa. If 
it is known that the soil is moist from the surface, or a 
reasonable depth below the surface, down to the water- 
level, alfalfa will succeed, providing there be no layer 
of rock intervening, though the water be ten to forty 
feet down. But if there be a stratum of dry sand 
between the surface and the water-level, as is the case 
in many places along the rivers on the dry plains, 



PLKNTY OF FOOD FOR AI.FAI,FA 1 9 

alfalfa will be a failure because it can get no benefit 
from the water below. 

Alfalfa seems to reach its limit of altitude at 8,000 
feet, and flourishes from this down to sea-level in 
varying degree. It will not endure standing or an 
excess of water as long as corn or wheat will, and it is 
more readily affedled by cold and wet together than 
ordinary crops. Such conditions obtain in New Eng- 
land, and render the crop more hazardous there than 
in any other section of the United States. The late 
fall rains, followed by wet snows and freezing rains 
together, sometimes leave the surface of the land 
covered for months with ice. This destroys alfalfa, 
and many times the ordinary grasses. 

PIvENTY OF FOOD FOR AI^FAI^FA 

The alfalfa plant, being a nitrogen gatherer diredlly 
from the air by means of the tubercles on its roots, we 
need in considering its food requirements to take into 
account only the mineral elements. Prof. William P. 
Headden, of the Colorado Experiment Station, who 
made careful chemical analyses of the plant and the 
soil upon which it grows, for the purpose of determin- 
ing its food requirements and the store available for 
such needs, found that the first 1 1 % feet of Colorado 
soil contains enough phosphoric acid for i , 700 crops 
of 4^ tons each; enough potash for 954 crops; enough 
lime for 8,500 crops; enough magnesium for 1,000 
crops; and enough sulphur for 600 crops. It will be 
seen by this that the supply is pradlically inexhaust- 
ible, since alfalfa ten years old may and often does 
extend its root explorations to double or treble this 
depth, 



20 Al^FAIvFA 

THK SKKD-BKD AND ITS PREJPARATION 

There are two dominant fadlors always to deter- 
mine the preparation of any seed-bed. The first is the 
charadler of the seed to be sown, as fine seeds, like 
those of alfalfa, require a much more carefully pre- 
pared bed than would peas or beans. The second 
fadlor is the chara(5ler of the soil; some soils can be 
brought to a certain desired point of preparation much 
more easily than others. The point can be seen by 
comparing a fine sandy loam and a stiff heavy gumbo. 
Under irrigation, or where rain is scarce, a deep seed- 
bed is needed in which to hold a store of moisture dur- 
ing the early life of the plant. A deep seed-bed other 
than for the use just stated is not essential; from the 
fadl that the alfalfa root system is not confined to nor 
dependent upon so shallow a layer of surface soil as it 
is pradticable to loosen up. Subsoiling or double 
plowing — following one plow with another in the same 
furrow — is very excellent as an aid to moisture-storage 
and conservation in regions where not abundant, but 
the alfalfa roots quite readil}^ take hold of a hard soil, 
and hence the deep seed-bed is not always so much of 
a necessity as for some other crops. 

The soil must be made so fine that the particles 
can come in immediate conta(5l with the seed, and it 
must be so firmed, b}^ rolling or otherwise, that there 
will be the minimum danger of drying out before the 
tender plants have established themselves. These two 
conditions must not be neglecffed. The plowed land 
must not be simply smoothed oif on top and made 
fine, but it must also be so compa(5led that capillarity 
will not be interfered with before coming within about 
two inches of the surface. At this point, two inches. 



THK SKKD-BKD AND ITS PRKPARATION 21 

or less if possible, capillarity should be arrested by 
loose soil. This allows the moisture to come from 
below, but arrests it at a point where the seed has 
been placed for germination. If some implement like 
a subsurface packer is not at hand to settle the plowed 
land, it would be best to grow a crop of cow-peas, 
beans, rape, potatoes, or cabbage, such as would leave 
the land in fine condition, and then give it only sur- 
face cultivation before seeding to alfalfa. If the land 
should need fertilizing (and alfalfa needs plenty of 
easily available plant- food to start it vigorously), cow- 
peas, beans, or vetch would be the preferable crops to 
grow previously, as they leave an added store of nitro- 
gen easily in reach. 

In regions where the soil may be blown badly by 
the spring winds, it is found advisable on the land in- 
tended for alfalfa to grow some sowed crop that will 
leave a quite heavy stubble. The alfalfa seed should 
be sown or, better, drilled in, with slight disturbance 
of the stubble, which keeps the soil from being blown 
about, and at the same time prote(5ls the young plants 
by holding the moisture near the surface, as evapora- 
tion will be much less rapid than if the soil was not so 
prote(5led. On the high sage-brush lands of Nevada 
alfalfa is seeded successfully, but the land is not 
plowed. Many failures there are attributed to plowing 
the ground, failures being few where the land is mere- 
ly harrowed and rolled after the brush is removed. 

On irrigable lands the ground should first be deeply 
plowed or subsoiled to form a reservoir for moisture, 
as very young alfalfa cannot be advantageously ir- 
rigated. After plowing, water should be turned on 
and the soil thoroughly saturated to the depth of a foot 



22 ALFAIvFA 

or eighteen inches. After the water has sufficiently 
soaked in so that the soil can be properly worked, two 
inches of the surface should be thoroughly loosened 
by harrowing or otherwise, to provide a mulch for 
prote(5ling the moisture. 

TIMK OF SEEDING 

The seed should be sown at such a time as to give 
the young plants the longest and most favorable season 
in which to grow, so they may be better able to with- 
stand any unfavorable conditions that follow. The 
alfalfa plant is one of the very weakest during its early 
life; it is not capable of maintaining itself among a 
growth of even the least vigorous weeds at the 
beginning. Cold rains in early spring are detrimental, 
and slight frost is death to the very young plant, 
which is in striking contrast with its effects upon the 
older and well-established growth. 

Spring sowing should not be done until the season 
is well advanced and there is no danger of a cold, wet 
period, or of frosts. The land to be seeded in the 
spring should not be plowed unless proper implements 
are at hand for thoroughly settling the ground again, 
but should be cultivated shallow at frequent interv^als, 
and especially as soon as suitable after every rain. 
When the proper time, as indicated, comes for seed- 
ing, should the ground be too dry or in any way 
unsuitable, the seed had better be saved. If the 
spring conditions do not become satisfactory, some such 
quick-maturing crop as millet, or, better, early peas 
or beans, may be grown on the land and removed in 
time for fall sowing. The lighter the crop grown on 
land before fall seeding the better, as there is then 



TIME OI^ SEEDING 23 

more likelihood of there being a large store of moisture 
in the soil. It is even advisable to summer- fallow. 
This cleans the ground of weeds and puts it in the best 
possible tilth. 

Fall seeding is advisable where grass and weeds are 
likely to badly choke the young plants, a probability 
in nearly all sedlions where the rainfall is quite heavy. 
Fall seeding should be done after the rains have come 
and the ground is in good condition. If this time does 
not come early enough, so there is yet a growing 
season sufficient for the alfalfa to make good growth 
of six to eight inches before cold weather, the seeding 
had better be deferred. Severe winters are likely to be 
disastrous to young, late-sown alfalfa, and for this 
reason fall seeding is not as advisable for northern as 
for more southern sedlions. 

The question of time of seeding is a very broad 
one, yet it is a fadl that there is not a month in the 
year when there have not been successful seedings of 
alfalfa in the United States. Even in Kansas and Colo- 
rado the range of time of seeding is nearly as great. 
The would-be grower must count the difficulties most 
liable to thwart his efforts, and use his own judgment 
as applied to his individual case. To recapitulate, if 
the soil is in condition in the spring, and there is not 
liable to be too long a dry period during the summer, 
when a few weeds only would be likely to materially 
injure the young plants, and especially if the winters 
are severe, spring sowing would be preferable. But if 
the weeds are sure to be rampant, and there is a suffi- 
ciently long growing period after the ground has been 
brought into proper condition by late summer or early 
fall rains to enable the alfalfa to get large enough to 



24 ALFALFA 

withstand the winter, fall seeding may do best. There 
are, however, localities in which it would make no 
difference at what time the seeding was done, as before 
the alfalfa was well started the sower would wish the 
seeding had been done at some other time. 

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF SKED 

The quantity of seed to sow on an acre is a ques- 
tion of no little importance, but growers differ widely 
in their opinions. The limit is from twelve to thirty 
pounds, owing somewhat to the method of seeding. 
The favorite quantity is twenty pounds to the acre. 
If the seed were universally good, and the ground 
always well prepared, this would be grossly extrava- 
gant. Professor Headden has made some interesting 
observations upon the ' ' stand ' ' of alfalfa in a number 
of meadows. A field of alfalfa six months old was 
found to contain 653,400 plants per acre ; another field 
ten years old was found to contain 526,793 plants per 
acre; another contained 139,392 plants to the acre. 
All of these three fields yielded pradlicall}^ the same 
quantity of hay per acre — a little over four tons. 
Another field twelve 3^ears old was found to contain 
only 70,283 plants per acre, and 3'et 3delded over three 
tons of hay per acre. The stands in these different 
fields were respedlivel}' fifteen, twelve, three, and less 
than two plants per square foot. A pound of alfalfa 
seed contains about 210,000 seeds. If ninety per cent 
of them germinated, twent^^ pounds per acre would give 
3,780,000 plants, or eighty-eight per square foot. After 
nine-tenths of the young plants perished from crowd- 
ing or accident there v»^ould 3^et be an ample stand. 
From these fadls one can readily find reasons for differ- 



QUANTITY AND QUAI^ITY OF SKKD 2$ 

ence of opinion among good farmers as to the quantity 
of seed to sow. As low as eight to ten pounds per 
acre have frequently been used with satisfaction . 

The quality of the seed is another most important 
fadlor. Good germinable seed should always be used. 
The percentage of germinability should be ascertained 
by a test before sowing. This is easily obtained as 
follows : Count out loo seeds and place between two 
pieces of muslin. Invert a small dish in a larger vessel 
and pour water around it. Place the muslin with 
seeds on inverted dish. I^et one end of the muslin 
hang down into the water. Saturate muslin and seed 
before putting them into the germinator, and set the 
whole in a warm place. The sprouted seeds should 
be counted and discarded at intervals of two or three 
days until all have germinated that will do so. The 
number germinated will give the per cent, of germina- 
bility. This ought not to be less than seventy-five 
per cent. 

Farmers are often cautioned against buying old 
alfalfa seed. Moderate age is no drawback. Seed six 
years old has been known to show a germinability of 
ninety- three per cent., and a German experimenter 
kept alfalfa seed bottled up in nitrogen gas for seven- 
teen years, and at the end of this time it showed a ger- 
minability of fifty-six per cent. 

A statement from one of the eastern experiment 
stations, made a few years ago, that alfalfa seed more 
than one year old will not germinate has been largely 
copied by the agricultural press. This statement is 
wholly erroneous, and should be corrected. The qual- 
ity depends upon how it is harvested and handled. 
Good, plump, well-ripened seed will keep ten years 



26 



AI.FAI.FA 



without great deterioration. Shrunken seed will show 
a lower percentage of germ inability at any time. 

TABI,K SHOWING GERMINABII^ITY OF AIvFAI^FA SEED. 
Tests made by Prof. Geo. L,. Clothier. 



d 










OJ'O 




P. 

a 


DESCRIPTION. 


Years 
old. 


Source. 


By whom 
contributed. 




Remarks. 










^ 






Fairly plump, color 


At least 


France. 


Dr. Otto 


81 




1 


yellowish brown. 


five. 


lyUgger. 






Fairly plump, size of 












2 


seeds uneven, color 


At least 


Buenos 


Dr. Otto 


72 




yellowish brown to 


five. 


Ayres. 


I^ugger. 






almost black. 












3 


Plump, color greenish 


Two. 


Commer- 


Northrup, 


a5 


Average of two 


yellow to brown. 


cial. 


King & Co. 


tests. 


4 


Plump, color greenish 


One. 


Commer- 


Northrup, 


89 




yellow to brown. 


cial. 


King & Co. 




5 


Plump, color brownish 
yellow to brown. 

Some shriveled, color 


Five 
or more. 


Kansas. 


H. H. 
Clothier. 


79 




6 


brownish yellow to 
black ; probably 
stack-burned. 


Crop of 

1897. 


Kansas. 


A. F. Thayer 


31 




7 


Many shriveled seeds, 
color greenish yellow 


Bought 
in 1897. 


Kansas (?) 


Thomas 
Walker. 


56 






to brownish yellow. 










8 


Badly shriveled, color 
brown to black. 


Crop of 

1896. 


Kansas. 


A. E. True. 


49 




9 


Plump, color yellow- 


Bought 


TTnlmoTvn 


Allen 


45 




ish brown. 


in 1891. 


\J i.XX^XX\J W iA. 


Phillips. 






10 


Plump, color yellow- 


Bought 


Unknown. 


Minnesota 


43 




ish to reddish brown. 


in 1891. 


University. 
















A number of 




Seeds rather uneven in 










seeds that will 


11* 


size, color greenish 


Crop of 


Commer- 


F. Barteldes 


76 


probably ger- 


yellow to brownish 


1899. 


cial. 


&Co. 


minate yet. 




yellow. 










A number of 




Seeds uneven in size, 










seeds that will 


12* 


some shriveled, color 


Crop of 


Commer- 


F. Barteldes 


76 


probably ger- 


greenish yellow to 


1899. 


cial. 


& Co. 


minate yet. 




brown. 










Some good- 




Seeds uneven in size, 










looking seeds 


13* 


some shriveled, color 


Crop of 


Commer- 


F. Barteldes 


63 


that will prob- 


greenish yellow to 


1899. 


cial. 


&Co. 


ably germi- 




brown. 










nate yet. 



* Nos. 11, 12, and 13 were only kept in the tester seven days. 



QUANTITY AND QUAI^ITY OF SKED 



27 





The following Tests were 
in 


made by Prof. Wm. F 
Colorado. 


. Headden, 




DESCRIPTION. 


Years 
old. 


Per- 
centage 
germi- 
nated. 


1 


Prime seed 


2 
2 

3 
6 

I 

2 
1 


96 


?, 




92 


R 




98 


n 


Prime seed . . 


93 


7 


Screenings, first quality . 
Screenings, first quality . 
Screenings, first quality . 
Screenings, second quality 
Screenings, third quality . 






66 


8 






55 
79 
38 


11 






38 



The foregoing tables illustrate the germinability of 
seed of different ages and qualities. The variations 
shown by Clothier are largely due to quality of seed 
at the time of thrashing and not to age. There need 
be no hesitation in sowing seed that shows a germina- 
bility of only forty per cent., but such seed should be 
purchased at a price correspondingly low, and the 
ordinary quantity per acre doubled. Buyers should 
insist upon a guarantee of a certain percentage of ger- 
minability, and beware of seed that has a reddish- 
brown or black color. This has probably been injured 
in the stack by heating. Alfalfa that has molded, 
heated, or " stack -burned," should never be thrashed 
for seed. 

F. Barteldes & Co. , seedsmen, of Lawrence, Kansas, 
give the following rules to be observed in sele(5ling 
and determining the quality and purity of the seed, 
aside from acflual tests of vitality by germination: 

" In the first place, the best new seed is uniformly 
of bright golden-yellow color. From various causes, 
however, which do not affecfl its vitality, new seed is 
more or less discolored. Seed kept after the first year 
grows darker in color, and its vitality decreases, 



28 ALFALFA 

though to what extent we are unable to say with cer- 
tainty. As to how to determine if seed has been 
' stack- burned ' we are also unable to give information 
that would be reliable, but are of the opinion that it 
would be much darker in color with evidence of mold 
appearing on the seeds. All we can do is to test such 
seeds as do not show absolute worthlessness. Next, 
it is of the first importance to see that the seed is pure, 
and free from foreign seeds. The most common of 
these, and hardest to dete(?t by the uninformed, are 
Bokhara (or 'sweet') clover and dodder. The former 
closely resembles alfalfa seed in size and color, but can 
easily be detected by its odor. The latter is of the 
same color, but round and much smaller, and can be 
removed in cleaning." 

METHOD OF SKKDING 

The alfalfa seed being very small contains but little 
plant-food, and no more can be obtained until the 
young plant has unfolded its first leaves in the sun- 
light and its roots have taken hold of the soil. If 
planted too deep it will not have strength sufiicient to 
push through the soil above it, and if planted too shal- 
low germination may begin, but the soil dries out 
around the seed and the plant dies. Hence, whatever 
method is used, the object must be to place the seed in 
the most advantageous position possible for its best 
growth. 

The two general methods of seeding are broadcast 
and in drills; broadcasting generally requires five to 
ten pounds more seed per acre. The relative merits of 
the two methods are determined somewhat by the con- 
dition of the soil with respedl to moisture. If thor- 



MIJTHOD OF SHADING 29 

oughly moist there is no benefit derived from having 
the seed covered to any considerable depth. The land 
should be well smoothed before sowing and lightly 
harrowed afterward. If the soil is inclined to be light 
it is an excellent prac5lice to roll, after harrowing the 
seed in, and then harrow very lightly again. The 
surface should never be left as smooth and hard as a 
roller leaves it, as on most soils a crust may form 
which the young plant cannot push through. It 
should always be left loose on top after sowing. 

In using the drill the seed should be put just into 
the moist soil, and the depth of the drill regulated 
accordingly. If there is over two inches of dry, loose 
soil on top it will be putting the seed too deep to go be- 
low this. Alfalfa seed properly should not at most be 
covered more than one inch . In some very light soils one 
and one-half inches may give success, but the rule is, 
plant as shallow as possible to insure getting the seed 
in soil sufficiently moist to cause vigorous germination. 
For soils that are light and rather inclined to be dry 
using a drill with press wheels is much preferable. 
The wheels press the soil about the seed, which greatly 
facilitates germination. Few grain-drills are built to 
handle satisfaAorily as small seeds as those of alfalfa, 
but this is overcome by mixing the seed with equal 
parts, by measure, of coarse corn-meal or some other 
substance that will feed out evenly. By knowing the 
length of the field and measuring the mixture for a few 
rounds the proper adjustment of the drill can be ob- 
tained. The practice of drilling half of the seed one 
way and then cross-drilling with the other half has 
merits, as there is less liability to bare spots where the 
drill may have failed to work, and the seed may be 



30 AI.FAI,FA 

more evenly distributed. In many places where it has 
been found impossible to secure a stand by the ordi- 
nary methods on account of weeds, the seed is planted 
in drill-rows wide enough apart for cultivation by 
horse-power. This is pradliced in the Southern states 
and considered best. 

In England and some European countries the 
method is employed of growing the alfalfa plants 
in a nursery until eighteen inches high and then 
transplanting. This destroys the tap-root, it being 
necessarily cut off ten to twelve inches below the 
crown. The plants are not difficult to transplant, and 
are set in rows six inches apart with two feet be- 
tween the rows, and cultivated. 

NO NURSK-CROP 

Alfalfa cannot be guaged by red clover in any 
respe(5l. The question of a nurse-crop has sufficiently 
passed the experimental stage to say that alfalfa should 
be planted alone. There have been satisfadlory results 
from seeding with oats or barley, but the success was 
in spite of, and not because of, the nurse-crop. The 
young alfalfa after attaining some hight is aided by 
frequent clippings and needs the sunlight, neither of 
which is permissible if the nurse-crop is present. The 
greatest disadvantage of the nurse-crop is that in many 
cases it takes from the soil the moisture needed by the 
young alfalfa at some time during the season. A 
light nurse-crop may be advantageous on a light soil 
that blows about badly, but it is preferable to have as 
prote(5lion only the stubble from a previously grown 
crop. Alfalfa demands, at a risk of failure, exclusive 
possession of a soil or seed-bed, and that in the best 



TRKATMKNT O^ THE YOUNG AI.FAI,FA 3 1 

possible condition. It is very exa(5l in its require- 
ments, and for neglec5l of these while young it refuses 
to respond when older. 

TREATMENT OF THE YOUNG ALFAI^FA 

The first few months of its life is the critical period. 
After acquiring several pairs of leaves it will endure a 
great deal of hot weather, but will not withstand wet 
to the same degree. The irrigator can control the 
water, while all the non-irrigator can do is to so 
manage as to avoid as much as possible unfavorable 
conditions. Should a heavy rain settle the soil to- 
gether and form a crust, a light harrow should be 
used to break it. Even if considerable of the seed 
has sprouted the harrowing will be more a benefit 
than harm. A crust over the alfalfa seed is death to 
the young plants — they break their necks trying to 
get through — so there is nothing to lose by harrowing 
and everything to gain. 

Alfalfa is invigorated by cutting at frequent inter- 
vals, the cutting tending to prevent the producflion of 
seed. Bearing seed is an exhausting process to any 
plant. It is asserted that a seed-crop taken from an 
old field of alfalfa is as exhausting as three earlier 
cuttings of hay. The sickle-bar should be set so as 
not to cut too close to the ground. It is a mistake to 
mow the young alfalfa field only for getting rid of the 
weeds — a secondary consideration ; it should be mowed 
at such frequent intervals that there will not be enough 
of the clippings to smother the plants when left on the 
field for mulch. In a growthful season once every 
two weeks may not be too often, and the other limit 
may be determined somewhat by the rapidity of the 



32 AI^FAIvFA 

growth, but not exceed a month. Getting an alfalfa 
stand successfully through the first year is the greatest 
difiiculty; the second year frequently brings perils, but 
a discouraging field should not be abandoned too soon. 
Often what appears to be a very poor stand will sur- 
prisingly thicken up ; the disk-harrow is an invaluable 
implement to aid this. After alfalfa is well started it 
is very hardy, and is ordinarily quite equal to the 
crowding of weeds and grasses. 

AI.FAI,FA FOR PASTURE 

Alfalfa can be and is grazed by all kinds of stock, 
except possibly such ruminants as cattle and sheep. 
Many have pastured it for years without the slightest 
loss therefrom, but it cannot be said that there is no 
danger in pasturing sheep and cattle on alfalfa alone. 
Kxperience in this seems to vary so much that it is 
impossible to give any rule universally applicable, 
except that an occasional loss may be expedled. There 
is no danger in pasturing hogs and horses on alfalfa, 
the liability to bloat being wholly confined to rumi- 
nants. Danger seems to be quite if not wholly miti- 
gated by sowing half the quantity of seed of some 
perennial grass with it. Kentucky blue-grass, meadow 
fescue, orchard grass, timothy, or Bromus iiiermis 
are all suitable more or less for their respecftive sec- 
tions. Bromus iner^nis promises to be a favorite for 
the purpose, especially in the drier regions, as it has 
pradlically the same reputation for hardiness as has 
alfalfa. 

Alfalfa pastures are very enduring when judi- 
ciously treated. Alfalfa will not stand pasturing the 
first year; it should be but very moderately pastured 



AI,FAI,FA FOR SOILING 33 

the second, and never closely. It is very desirable to 
mow pastures occasionally to keep them fresh, and to 
prevent the exhaustive process of seeding by many of 
the plants. Alfalfa should never be pastured so late 
in the fall that there will be no protedlion left for the 
crowns during winter; stock should not be allowed in 
the pastures when there is a slight thaw, with frozen 
soil below, as much harm may be done to the crowns. 
Hogs will root out patches occasionally if not given 
sufficient range; ringing or slitting the nose is some- 
times done to prevent this. Ten yoang hogs per acre 
will not damage alfalfa, and should make i,ooo pounds 
of gain in a season, under ordinary conditions, with- 
out grain. However, alfalfa is better adapted to the 
making of hay, or for soiling, than for grazing, with 
perhaps the exception of pasture for hogs. It is 
doubtful whether as large returns can otherwise be 
secured from land, with as little outlay, as by pastur- 
ing alfalfa with young hogs. 

AIvFAI^FA FOR SOII.ING 

There is no other plant that can take the place of 
alfalfa for mowing and feeding green in summer. It 
comes early in the spring, stays late in the fall, and if 
properly handled and the season favorable it can be 
cut every day, and for feeding value is not equaled. 
It is relished by every class of farm animals. For 
dairy purposes it is par excellence. The quantity of 
feed a few acres will furnish when rightly managed is 
almost incredible. Ten mature cows, giving milk, 
have been fed the entire summer on the alfalfa from 
four square rods less than two acres. A cutting was 
made once each day, and the cows fed from it twice 



34 AI^FALFA 

daily, without other feed. The growth was not pam- 
pered, nor were the conditions more favorable than is 
common on average Kansas river ' ' bottom ' ' land. 
There will be a little irregularity in the first cutting — 
the first of it being a little immature, the last some- 
what too ripe — but later there need be no difficulty; it 
can be cut at exac5lly the proper stage. It is perhaps 
best at any time to let the hay slightly wilt before feed- 
ing, but this is not important. When the hay is used 
ver>' green, and is of rank growth, especially when wet 
from showers or heavy dew, there are occasional cases 
of bloat among cows eating it, but such cases are so 
infrequent that they need not be greatly feared. An 
alfalfa field grown for soiling at the Minnesota Uni- 
versity Experiment Farm is shown in Fig. 8. 

HARVESTING 

A corredl understanding of the best methods, and 
experience in applying them, in handling alfalfa hay 
is important in determining the greatest satisfaction 
with the crop. Dissatisfacftion, or an improper esti- 
mate of the value of the hay, comes more from inju- 
dicious harvesting than any other cause. The art of 
handling this crop is peculiar in itself, and can only be 
fully learned by experience. Experience teaches that 
for the best results it should be cut for hay when the 
first one-fourth or one-fifth of the blossoms have ap- 
peared. If a great deal is to be cared for, cutting 
should begin earlier, so as to be completed before the 
last is too ripe. 

All classes of animals prefer the early cut, but the 
late cut is better for work-horses, being less washy, 
and not so liable to unduly or unfavorably excite the 



36 ALFALFA 

digestive and urinary organs, as does the early cut hay 
used too freely. Hogs and milch cows respond most 
favorabl}^ to the early cut hay. 

Curing is attended with more or less difficulty in 
regions of much humidity. It is very important that 
the hay be stacked or stored without being rained on, 
or even left spread in a heav}^ dew. Its value as a feed 
is largely due to the fa(5l that it is easily digested. 
The food elements are not securely held, hence they 
wash out very readily. The damage by rain depends 
upon the time the hay has lain also, but it is safe to 
say that a rain of one-half to one inch will damage the 
hay from twenty-five to fifty per cent. The loss does 
not all come from washing, but the leaves, which are 
the most valuable part, after being wet shatter from the 
stems easily and are lost. No more of the crop should 
be mowed at once than can be handled in one day, 
and this should be raked ii;ito windrows as soon as 
wilted. If the crop is very heavy it should be gone 
over with a tedder three or four hours after cutting, so 
that the curing will be uniform. 

Alfalfa when subje(?ted to extreme drouth tends 
to proteA itself by shedding its leaves, and if not 
properly handled this occurs in curing. The hay 
should be put in the windrow before the leaves are 
brittle, and it may be left in this condition until ready 
to stack or put in the mow. It may be advisable 
to cock and let thoroughly cure, especially in sections 
where the climate is more or less damp. The cock 
should be high and narrow, and should be opened out 
to dry if necessary. In the Central and Western states, 
except in very w^et seasons, which are not frequent, 
the alfalfa is cut and raked the same day and put into 



HARVESTING 37 

Stacks the next. The side-delivery rakes, loaders, or 
buckrakes, and hay-forks, or stackers, are used, so there 
is very little hand-hauling. When cured disturb as 
little as possible, as there is always a loss of leaves 
from handling. The hay can be put into stacks or mows 
when the stems are quite tough, or flexible, with little 
danger of damage; if the precaution is taken to sprinkle 
salt on the hay at the rate of ten to fifteen pounds to the 
ton it can be safely stacked while quite damp. Air- 
slacked lime at the same rate also lessens danger of 
' ' burning ' ' in the stack. It will be found that alfalfa 
hay can be stacked much damper than is commonly 
supposed, and one of the secrets of handling is to never 
let it get thoroughly dry until stacked. The leaves 
are of more value than an equal weight of wheat bran. 
If the hay gets too dry and the leaves shatter badly in 
raking, it is advisable to leave it and rake early in the 
morning when the dew is on. 

Sheds for hay are good investments, but when the 
hay must be stacked in the open, the stack should be 
made narrow at the bottom and run straight up, or, 
better, bulge somewhat, until of a convenient hight to 
begin topping it out. Stack-covers of lumber make a 
great saving; tarpaulins or long slough- grass can be 
used advantageously, or in case none of these are to be 
had, the stacks can be topped with the green hay two 
feet in depth. This packs down and forms a much 
better protection than the cured hay, and, being on top, 
cures and becomes good hay itself. 

Occasionally a season is so wet as to make stacking 
or storing in barns impossible, especially the first cut- 
ting. This may be in a measure overcome by stacking 
with alternate layers of dry straw. The straw is made 



38 AI.FAI.FA 

more palatable thereby also. It is always advisable 
to have air spaces under the stacks or mows if the 
floors are tight. This may be accomplished by putting 
down poles, brush, or the like, on which to start the 
foundation. Ventilators may be put in the mows, 
built rack-fashion, two feet square from the floor up. 
A barrel set, the hay built around it, and the barrel 
raised from time to time, as the mow fills, forms a very 
effecftive ventilator. 

While there are many opinions as to what extent 
hay is damaged by discolor ations in the stacks, or 
whether at all, the strongest demand is always for the 
brightest colored and most perfedlly cured. It is 
hardly too broad a statement, however, to say that 
alfalfa cannot be damaged in the stack to such an 
extent that cattle will not eat 'it. 

There is always some difference in the quality of 
the hay from different cuttings. The first cutting is 
generally coarser, and is best fed to stock cattle and 
horses. The second and later cuttings are good for 
all stock. 

COMPARISON OF YIFI.DS 

Prof. C. ly. Ingersoll, of the Nebraska Experiment 
Station at lyincoln, planted clovers, including alfalfa, 
and several of the tame grasses. The alfalfa, he says, 
in spite of a dry spring, grew finely, and in the fall, 
during the prolonged and dry period, it was the only 
green plant in the whole list. No fertilizers were used; 
the ground was simply plowed, harrowed until very 
smooth, and after sowing was all lightly harrowed and 
smoothed with a plank drag. During the first season 
the plats were mowed once, and the weeds and surplus 



COMPARISON OI^ YIKI.DS 39 

grass raked off. The following table shows the yield 
of each variety the next year: 

Plat Hay, Yield 

No. VARIETY GROWN. Ibs. per acre, 

1 June clover 473 2,365 

2 Mammoth clover 475 2,375 

3 Alsike clover 413 2,065 

4 Alfalfa (first cut) 816 4,080 

5 Blue-grass 575 2,875 

6 Orchard grass 478 2,390 

7 Timothy grass 560 2,800 

8 Red-top grass 470 2,350 

9 Meadow fescue 375 1,875 

10 Tall meadow oat grass 600 3,000 

11 Italian rye grass 

12 Timothy, blue-grass, orchard grass 203 1,015 

Professor Ingersoll calls attention to the great differ- 
ence in the yield of forage (cured hay) per acre in 
the last column, varying from 1,015 pounds to 4,080, 
the latter being for alfalfa, while the former was the 
plat of mixed grasses. He further says: 

"Injustice to Plat 12 we will say that this was 
located too near a row of well-grown cottonwood trees, 
and thus, to some extent, robbed of plant-food and 
moisture. But the comparison does not end here. The 
alfalfa plat kept on growing by means of its deep roots, 
and when in blossom was cut twice more. The other 
plats made no aftergrowth worth mentioning. The 
alfalfa crop then stood as follows for the second year : 

Hay, lbs. 

First cutting 816 

Second cutting 805 

Third cutting 743 

Fourth cutting (estimated) 180 

2,544 



40 ALFAI.FA 

' ' This, being for one-fifth of an acre, gives as the total 
producftion per acre 12,720 pounds, or, approximately, 
six and one-half tons of good, dry forage. What 
plant do we grow that, without special care, will give 
greater or even an equal return of good, palatable 
forage ? ' ' 

SCIENTIFIC FKBDING 
Before going into the details of questions arising 
out of the pradlice of feeding alfalfa, it seems best to 
discuss the fundamental principles which govern the 
estimation of the feeding value of any feedstuff. Not- 
withstanding the fa6ls that much good work has been 
done and is being done in the scientific feeding of 
domestic animals, and that the published results of the 
experiments are accessible, yet those who comprehend 
or use well-balanced rations in every-day pradlice are 
not nearly so numerous as is desirable. No farmer 
can learn to feed alfalfa in the most economical way 
until he understands the compounding of a balanced 
ration. All foodstuffs for either man or beast are 
made up of three classes of substances — namely, 
protein or proteids, fats, and carbohydrates. The 
animal's digestive and assimilative organs are so con- 
strudled that it can not use these three classes of sub- 
stances interchangeably ; in other words, an animal fed 
wholly upon any one of these three substances would 
gradually starve to death. When mixed in the pro- 
portions needed to supply the vital organs of the bod}^ 
with material and energy, these substances become the 
source of animal life. The protein goes to build up 
the brain, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in which 
the life force is adfive. Without protein there would 
be no life. 



FEEDING AI.FAI.FA HAY 4 1 

Protein contains nitrogen, while the carbohydrates 
and fats have none of this important, element. The 
white of an egg is almost pure protein; the gluten of 
the wheat flour and the lean meat are eaten by man to 
supply his body with protein. The green leaves of 
plants and their tender growing shoots are gorged 
with large quantities of protein; this is true of alfalfa 
in a superlative degree. The carbohydrates are such 
substances as starch, sugar, and vegetable fiber. The 
fats and carbohydrates supply heat to the body and 
build up fatty tissues. Protein may be broken down 
in such a way by digestion that it will liberate heat and 
go to help build up the fat, but the carbohydrates and 
fats can not build up muscle or nerve tissue. From 
the foregoing fadls it is evident that protein is the most 
important substance in a feedstuff. 

To balance a ration for domestic animals is to so 
adjust the quantity of digestible proteids, fats, and 
carbohydrates therein contained that the animal econ- 
omy may use all of these substances without any waste. 
The balanced ration means an economical ration, which 
allows the digestive organs of the animal to work at 
their highest efficiency. An unbalanced ration is one in 
which either one of the three classes of food substances 
is in excess. When fed such a ration, the animal re- 
taliates upon his owner by inability to digest the excess, 
which is worse than wasted; for the feeding of any class 
of substances in excess adds to the labor of the digestive 
organs of the animal, thus reducing their efficiency. 

FEEDING AI,FAI,FA HAY 

The digestibility of alfalfa is changed less by the 
process of curing than that of any other forage plant. 



42 AI.FAI,FA 

Dry alfalfa haj^ is in the midst of summer about as 
palatable to the dairy cow as the finest Kentucky blue- 
grass. The ideal way to feed alfalfa is as hay. This 
saves the labor of handling the excessive quantities of 
water present in green plants. Fed dry, the danger 
from bloat is avoided, and the quality of the feeding 
constituents is not reduced by the dryness in the least. 
The only way that alfalfa hay is liable to deteriorate in 
value is through poor handling or exposure to bad 
weather. If fifty per cent, of the leaves are lost in the 
handling, as is frequent, the remainder of the hay will 
be composed of a large percentage of indigestible 
vegetable fiber. Molding or heating destroys some of 
the most valuable nutrients . Properly housed and cured 
alfalfa does not deteriorate with age. It possesses 
largely the succulent qualities of green grass in June, 
keeping the digestive organs open and adlive; it has a 
cooling effe(5l upon the blood, and cannot be surpassed 
as a feed for cows during calving time. Fed to dairy 
cows, alfalfa maintains the flow of milk equal to June 
grass for nearly the whole year. It can be chopped as 
fine as wheat bran and mixed with corn-meal to form 
a balanced ration. Such a mixture is worth more, 
pound for pound, than the original corn-meal. Where 
alfalfa grows to perfedlion is a cow paradise, and 
such a land is certain to " flow with milk and honey," 
if man does his part toward such a consummation. 

In computing the value of alfalfa hay as a feedstuff 
for the balanced rations, 10.6 pounds is taken to repre- 
sent the digestible protein in one hundred pounds, as 
given in Henry's ''Feeds and Feeding." The diges- 
tion experiments at the Kansas Experiment Station 
show the average digestible protein of prime alfalfa 



FKKDING AI.FAI,FA HAY 43 

hay to be 12.9 pounds per hundredweight. According 
to these latter figures, one acre of alfalfa yielding four 
tons of hay would produce 1,033 pounds of digestible 
protein, while an acre of corn yielding thirty-six 
bushels would produce in the grain only 157 pounds. 
Since protein is absolutely essential to the production of 
milk we readily see from these figures the comparative 
values of corn and alfalfa hay for dairy purposes. 

The following table shows the comparative values 
of alfalfa hay and other common feeds, calculated upon 
the quantities of digestible protein contained in each. 
The alfalfa given the second time in the table is 
assumed to be equal in feeding value to the average 
product well cured, as has been shown by recent 
digestion experiments. It is seen that hay of such 
quality is equal to or even better than wheat bran, 
pound for pound : 

COMPARATIVE VALUES OF ALFALFA HAY AND OTHER 
FEEDSTUFFS FOR PROTEIN. 

Value per ton when prairie 
hay is worth per ton — 

NAME OF FEEDSTUFF. , * n 

$2.00 $3.00 $4.00 

Alfalfa hay (average) . . . $6.05 $9.08 $12.11 

Red clover hay 3-88 5-82 7-77 

Orchard-grass hay .... 2.74 4. 11 5.48 

Millet hay 2.57 3.85 5-14 

Timothy hay 1.65 2.48 3.31 

Sorghum hay 1-37 2.05 2.74 

Corn-fodder (stover) ... 1.14 i-7i 2.28 

Oat straw 91 i-37 1.82 

Wheat straw 45 -68 .91 

Sugar-beets 62 .94 1.25 

Mangel-wurzels 57 -85 i-i4 

Alfalfa hay containing 12.9 

per cent, digestible protein 7.36 11.05 14.73 
Wheat bran 7-o2 10.53 i4-04 



44 AI.FAI.FA 

For stock-cattle there is no better feed than alfalfa 
hay. The minerals contained in it are what the young 
animals need to build the bones of their bodies. The 
protein builds up their muscles, nerves, and tendons, 
giving vitality and strength. A steer grown on alfalfa 
balanced with other fodders will be more valuable to 
fatten than one fed entirely upon the highly carbona- 
ceous grains. Calves will leave their grain to pick up 
alfalfa stems and leaves left as refuse in mangers 
of dairy cows. 

FEEDING VAI,UE OF AI,FAI.FA HAY 

* * The philosophers have been inquiring into the se- 
cret of the alfalfa plant, and they have found that the 
hay is, in money value, forty-five per cent, better than 
clover and sixty per cent, better than timothy," says 
The Field and Farm. * ' This carries out our long-ex- 
pressed theory that alfalfa is the greatest all-around for- 
age plant the world has ever known. To secure a good 
milk ration by the use of timothy hay, protein must be 
supplied from some other source, in order to secure a 
ration that will give a sufficient amount of that mate- 
rial without entailing a loss of carbohydrates and fats ; 
clover hay, however, is a fairly good ration in itself, 
and it can be economically used without the addition 
of any other compounds ; alfalfa hay, on the other 
hand, requires the addition of large amounts of both 
fat and carbohydrates in order to be profitably utilized 
as a milk ration. 

' * This f a(5l renders alfalfa even more serviceable 
than its valuation would indicate, since, in the manage- 
ment of farms, either for dairy purposes or for grain, 
an excess of carbohydrates is secured, which in the 



FEJKDING VAI.uk OF AI^FALFA HAY 45 

great majority of cases is wasted, either through lack 
of proper material from other sources with which to 
balance the ration or through ignorance of the real 
loss incurred. Under ordinary conditions, 2}^ pounds 
of protein, four-tenths of a pound of fat, and 12^ 
pounds of carbohydrates can be profitably fed daily to 
a milch cow of 1,000 pounds live weight. One ton of 
alfalfa hay, containing 35.3 pounds of digestible fat, 
280.1 pounds of digestible protein, and 770.7 pounds 
of digestible carbohydrates, would furnish sufiicient 
protein for 112 days, fat for 88 days, and carbo- 
hydrates for 61 days. 

* ' Therefore, in order to feed this amount of alfalfa 
economically and profitably, fat sufiicient for twenty- 
four days and carbohydrates for fifty-one days must be 
added from some other source. In securing these fats 
and carbohydrates, it is impossible to avoid adding 
protein to a slight extent, since all farm produ(5ls that 
are of any value for feeding purposes contain more or 
less protein; this addition of protein, however, may 
be, and should be, reduced to a minimum by selection 
of those materials which contain it in the smallest 
quantities. Among these may be mentioned field 
cornstalks, green fodder corn, or ensilage, wheat straw, 
oat straw, root crops, and so forth. One ton of field 
cornstalks, containing seventeen pounds of fat, sixty 
pounds of protein, and 1,076. 6 pounds of carbohydrates, 
would furnish sufficient protein for twenty-four days, 
fat for forty days, and carbohydrates for eighty-six 
days. 

* ' Two tons of a mixture of equal weights of field 
cornstalks and alfalfa would therefore furnish food 
sufficient for 136 days without noticeable loss of any 



46 AI^FAIvFA 

of the digestible compounds. In case of corn ensilage, 
every ton of which contains six pounds of fat, 24.4 
pounds of protein, and 296.6 pounds of carbohydrates, 
three tons would furnish sufl&cient protein for twenty- 
eight days, fat for forty-five days, and carbohydrates 
for seventy-one days. Four tons of a mixture com- 
posed of one ton of alfalfa hay and three tons of ensi- 
lage, or green fodder corn, would therefore furnish 
food sufiicient for 136 days without any appreciable 
loss. Alfalfa thus furnishes the farmer a feeding 
material rich in protein, which can be substituted for 
such waste products as wheat bran, cottonseed-meal, 
etc., usually bought in order to profitably utilize the 
excess of carbohydrates. 

* ' There is no way in which more net profit may 
be secured from an acre of good alfalfa than by pastur- 
ing young hogs upon it. One acre should sustain ten 
to fifteen hogs from spring to fall. If they weigh 
one hundred pounds each when put on the alfalfa, they 
should be able to make another hundred each from it 
during the season. Ten hundred pounds at five cents 
is fifty dollars, and there is no expense to be dedudled. 
Six hundred pounds of pork from an acre of corn 
would be a good yield, and then the expense of culti- 
vating, and harvesting, and feeding would make a big 
hole in the net profit. Pork-making from alfalfa is 
one good road to success." 

AI,FAI.FA vs. CORN 

Prof. W. W. Cooke, of the Colorado Experiment 
Station at Fort Collins, relates this in his Bulletin 
No. 26: 

* ' Throughout the northern half of the Mississippi 



ALFAI.FA VS. CORN 47 

Valley corn is the great crop. It produces more feed- 
ing material per acre than anything else that can be 
grown. In Colorado it meets a worthy rival in alfalfa. 
Both these crops were grown side by side, in acre 
plots, on the station farm. The land was in good 
condition, and in addition a very heavy application of 
stable manure was given to the corn ground, so as to 
show it at its best. Colorado is not so well adapted to 
corn culture as are Kansas and Nebraska, owing to 
cool nights, high altitude, and near presence of the 
mountains. But the crop of corn to be described 
would compare well with the Eastern and Middle 
states, being equivalent to one of their crops of four- 
teen tons of green fodder per acre. It is also fully up 
to the average of the great corn states of Kansas, 
Nebraska, and Iowa. 

'* The variety was the Golden Beauty, planted May 
1 6th, in hills three feet apart each way, harrowed two 
times, cultivated four times, and irrigated once. It 
was harvested September 21st, and the entire crop, 
ears and stalks, weighed 15,500 pounds per acre. The 
analysis vShowed 35.62 per cent, of dry matter, so that 
the crop contained 4,539 pounds of dry matter per 
acre. 

'■ ' The alfalfa growing on a neighboring plot was 
not fertilized, and was three years from seeding. It 
was irrigated twice and cut three times, yielding at 
the first cutting 4,600 pounds of hay per acre; at the 
second 3,350 pounds, and at the third 3,250 pounds, a 
total of 5.6 tons of hay, containing 10,304 pounds of 
dry matter per acre. 

''The alfalfa, therefore, yielded almost twice as 
much dry matter per acre as the corn. But this is not 



48 AI,FAI.FA 

quite a fair comparison, for a pound of dry matter from 
the corn crop is more digestible and has a higher feed- 
ing value than an equal amount from the alfalfa. The 
corn crop contained 3,605 pounds of digestible feeding 
material, while the crop of alfalfa contained 5,611 
pounds, or a little more than half as much again. The 
corn crop per acre, in feeding value, was equivalent to 
three and one-half tons of alfalfa hay. 

' * There is no doubt but that it costs much more to 
grow and harvest the corn than the alfalfa. More- 
over, while the corn crop rapidly exhausts the soil, 
the alfalfa sends its roots deep into the soil, and gathers 
stores of plant-food from the air, so that it seems, for 
the present at least, to benefit rather than deplete the 
land. 

"It is evident that in the irrigated portions of 
Colorado alfalfa is more profitable than corn. 

YIELD PER ACRE OF CORN AND ALFALFA. 

Total. Digestible. 



FEEDING VALUES. 


Corn. Alfalfa. 


Corn. Alfalfa 


Dry matter . . . lbs. 


5,539 


10,304 


3,605 5,611 


Albuminoids. . . " 


405 


1,602 


296 1,198 


Starch, sugar, etc. " 


3.263 


4.782 


2,186 3,114 


Fiber " 


1,472 


2,800 


1,060 1,198 


Fat " 


84 


246 


63 lOI 


Ash " 


315 


829 






* ' The leaves of alfalfa hay fall off very readily 
from the stems. A little pounding was sufiicient to 
separate a quantity of hay into two equal parts, one of 
which was mostly leaves with a few short stems, and 



ALFAIvFA FOR DAIRY COWS 49 

the other mostly stems. Samples of each gave analyses 
as follows for the dry matter: 

Leaves. Stems. 

Ash 12.36 7.05 

Crude fiber 25.68 42.47 

Fat (ether extract) 3.46 2.95 

Albuminoids 13.12 8.61 

Starch, sugar, etc 45-38 38.92 

Total 100.00 100.00 

DIGESTIBLE PORTIONS OF DRY MATTER. 

Leaves. Stems. 

Crude fiber 11.04 18.36 

Fat (ether extract) 1.38 1.15 

Albuminoids 9.84 6.46 

Starch, sugar, etc 29.49 25.30 

Total digestible material in 100 lbs. . 51.75 51.27 

Nutritive ratio 1:4.5 1:7.2 

* ' It will be seen, ' ' says Professor Cooke, ' ' that the 
two are about equally digestible. But they are quite dif- 
ferent in the proportion of their digestible parts. The 
stems are properly proportioned for horses at moderate 
work, while the leaves are well adapted to the needs 
of growing calves and yearlings. ' ' 

AI.FAI,FA FOR DAIRY COWS 

Alfalfa unquestionably holds first place among the 
feeds for the dairy cow. It is a happy combination of 
richness and succulence. It has been predicfled that 
the cow fed on alfalfa will in the near future set the 
-price of butter for the world. Alfalfa has the two par- 
amount qualities to enable it to do this : low cost of 
production in localities adapted to it, and the superior 
quality of butter produced while feeding it. Prime 
alfalfa hay is very palatable, and being easily digested 



50 AI.FAI.FA 

and of a cooling or laxative tendency has an effedl 
on the butter fat similar to green pasture. With it the 
June conditions, which are most favorable to the pro- 
dudlion of the finest quality and largest quantity, can 
more nearly be maintained and at less cost than with 
any other single food. When used the problem of the 
balanced ration, which is such a mystery to many 
dairymen, is solved. The ordinary cow will eat alfalfa 
hay and corn, or Kafir-corn chop, in just the proper 
proportions to make the balanced ration. 

Professor D. H. Otis, of the Kansas Agricultural 
College, says : * ' Alfalfa can be used in place of bran 
for dairy cows, and is the only single feed that will 
make a balanced ration with corn, or Kafir-corn. 
While feeding the hay to dairy cows at this station we 
have produced butter fat at 11.9 cents per pound. 
When we did not have alfalfa and were obliged to bal- 
ance up the ration with high-priced concentrates the 
butter fat cost us from fifteen to seventeen cents. 

* ' Green alfalfa makes an excellent feed for soiling 
cows, or for supplementing short or dry pastures. 
During the summer of 1899 ten head of the college 
cows were fed green alfalfa for seventy-four days, con- 
suming 77,145 pounds. Deducting the cost of grain 
fed during the same time, and figuring the butter fat 
at creamery prices, and skim-milk at fifteen cents per 
one hundred pounds, the green alfalfa brought us $25. 26 
per acre. During the last half of June and the first half 
of July, 1900, the region in which the college is located 
was suffering from severe dry weather. During this 
period the tame grass pastures dried up completely, 
and the wild grass herbage was short and wiry ; the 
flies and hot sun were so bad that the cows would not 



AI,FAI,FA FOR DAIRY COWS 5 1 

graze more than an hour or two per day, and some days 
would not leave the shade of the trees. We commenced 
feeding green alfalfa at night, June 21. At that time 
twenty-one head were yielding 389.8 pounds of milk 
per day. On July 14, after three weeks of the severest 
dry weather, the same cows were yielding 390.2 pounds 
of milk. Cows in the neighborhood without green 
feed fell in milk yield from fifteen to twenty per cent. 

' ' The dairy farmer who has a good field of alfalfa 
has something equal if not superior to a Klondike gold 
mine. ' ' 

In the following rations, which are figured from 
Wolff's standard, it will be seen how the use of alfalfa 
for * ' roughness ' ' lessens the need of expensive con- 
centrates. In these the portions are given in pounds, 
and each ration is sufiicient for a 1,000-pound cow 
twenty-four hours, to be given in two or three feeds. 
The rations in which alfalfa is not used suffice for 
comparison. If the cost is computed from retail prices 
the comparison is more striking, and the same holds 
in feeding : 

Alfalfa, 25; corn, 3)^, or Kafir-corn, 4.* 
Alfalfa, 20; corn, 7, or Kafir- corn, 8. 
Alfalfa, 20; corn, 6, or Kafir-corn, 7; oats, 2. 
Alfalfa, 20; corn, 4; Kafir-corn, 4. 
Alfalfa, 20; fodder corn, 15. 
Alfalfa, 20; corn fodder, 8; corn, 4. 
Alfalfa, 20; millet, 5; corn, 4. 
Alfalfa, 20; sorghum hay, 8; corn, 3. 
Alfalfa, 20; prairie hay, 5; Kafir-corn, 5. 
Alfalfa, 20; mangels, 20; corn, 5^^. 



* Kafir-corn in these tables means the grain. 



52 AI.FAI.FA 

Alfalfa, 20; corn ensilage, 15; Kafir-corn, 5. 

Alfalfa, 15; corn fodder, 10; corn, 5; soy-bean meal, i^. 

Alfalfa, 15; millet, 5; Kafir-corn, 7; soy-bean meal, i. 

Alfalfa, 15; sorghum hay, 4; Kafir-corn, 8; soy-bean 
meal, i. 

Alfalfa, 15; prairie hay, 5; corn 6; soy-bean meal, 2. 

Alfalfa, 15; mangels, 10; corn fodder, 5; Kafir-corn, 3; 
corn, 3; bran, 2. 

Alfalfa, 10; corn fodder, 15; corn, 4}^; Old Process 
linseed-oil meal, 3. 

Alfalfa, 10; mangels, 10; corn fodder, 15; Kafir-corn, 
3; soy-bean meal, 2; bran, 2. 

Alfalfa, 5; ensilage, 40; corn, 3; oats, 3; cottonseed- 
meal, i; Old Process linseed-oil meal, 2. 

Corn fodder, 20; oats, 4; Kafir-corn, 2; soy-bean meal, 
3; bran, 2}^; cottonseed-meal, i. 

Corn fodder, 15; millet, 10; corn, i; Chicago gluten- 
meal, 3; cottonseed-meal, 2. 

Millet, 20; bran, i; Old Process linseed-.oil meal, 2; 
cottonseed-meal 3. 

Sorghum hay, 25; bran, i)^; Chicago gluten-meal, 2; 
cottonseed-meal, 3. 

Prairie hay, 20; Kafir-corn, 3; bran, 2; Chicago gluten- 
meal, 2; cottonseed-meal, 2. 

Timothy, 10; clover, 10; mangels, 10; corn, 3; bran, 3; 
cottonseed-meal, 2)^. 

Orchard grass, 10; clover, 10; corn fodder, 10; Chicago 
gluten-meal, 3; bran, i; Old Process linseed-oil 
meal, ^. 

ALFALFA HAY FOR FATTENING STKKRS 

Corn and Kafir-corn are both extremely rich in 
starch and contain too little protein, the material in 



AI,FAI,FA HAY FOR FATTENING STFFRS 53 

feed necessary for the formation of blood and lean 
meat. Alfalfa hay is rich in protein and deficient in 
starch. Either corn or Kafir-corn can be combined with 
alfalfa hay in such proportions as to make an ideal 
fattening ration. 

There are two systems of feeding alfalfa hay with 
corn to fattening steers. In one system the steers are 
fed all the corn they will eat, and then given sufficient 
alfalfa hay to balance the corn. With this system 
steers can be induced to eat large quantities of grain 
and make large gains. George M. Hoffman, of L^ittle 
River, Kansas, in feeding all the shelled corn and 
alfalfa hay that his steers would eat, made a gain of 
five pounds per day per steer for forty-seven days. Mr. 
Hoffman is one of the extensive cattle-feeders of 
Kansas and has been in the business for many years. 
With alfalfa hay and corn he does not calculate on a 
gain of less than three pounds per steer per day with 
choice steers. 

Another system in fattening steers with corn and 
alfalfa hay is to feed the steers all the hay they will 
eat and a limited quantity of corn. This system is 
especially valuable when the corn crop is short and 
corn is high. Many feeders report that they have 
full-fed steers and put them on the market in a well- 
finished condition, making average gains with one- 
half the usual quantity of corn. 

Alfalfa hay is a laxative, and if steers or anj^ other 
animals are given all they will eat of it at first serious 
scouring immediately follows. It pays to get steers on 
to a full feed of alfalfa hay gradually, taking ten days 
to two weeks. Professor Cottrell says the best way is 
to fill the racks with prairie or timothy hay and allow 



54 AI.FAI.FA 

the steers to eat all they will, beginning with an allow- 
ance of two or three pounds of alfalfa hay per day per 
animal. ' ' Slowly increase the alfalfa, until at the end 
of two weeks the steers may be allowed to eat all they 
will. The other hay may then be withdrawn. A 
limited number of experiments indicate that the best 
gains may be secured by feeding the hay and grain 
together. To do this the grain-boxes should be made 
twice as deep as usual, as seen in Fig. 9. The alfalfa 
hay should be placed in the bottom of the boxes, the 
corn thrown on it, and then the hay and corn mixed 
together. Fed in this way steers seldom get off feed 
nor are they troubled with scours, and apparently 
better gains are made for food consumed. At the 
Kansas Experiment Station, in the winter of 1899-1900, 
eighty head of steers, fed corn and alfalfa hay in this 
way, made about two pounds gain per day each, on an 
average of seventeen pounds of grain per day per 
steer." A load of feed of alfalfa and corn, weighed 
up and on the way to the feed-lots, is shown in Fig. 10. 
This load contains feed for eighty head of steers. In 
Fig. II are seen steers at the Kansas Experiment 
Station eating chopped alfalfa and corn-meal mixed. 
These steers made a gain of 2.52 pounds per day for 
116 days, requiring only 1,100 pounds of feed for each 
100 pounds of increase. 

AI,FAI,FA FOR SWINK 

The hog is much more of a grass animal by nature 
than it has, in man}^ cases, any chance to be under 
domestication. The successful feeder, however, recog- 
nizes the fa6t that the most profitable gains can be 
made on good pasture with a small allowance of grain 



56 ALFALFA 

to finish for the market. Clover is a great favorite 
for hog pastures, but those who have tried both clover 
and alfalfa find the alfalfa superior. It stands pas- 
turing better than clover, and is a better feed. Alfalfa 
affords an ideal hog pasture, and if judiciously treated 
and good hogs are raised there is no part of the farm 
that will give the satisfacftion that the alfalfa pasture 
does. Pigs weighing thirty to sixt}- pounds, ten to 
fifteen head per acre, put on alfalfa pasture in the 
spring should ordinarily make a gain of one hundred 
pounds each, but too severe pasturing will destroy the 
plants. This number will not keep the pasture all 
eaten down, and it should be mowed occasionally, 
about the same as for ha}^ The growth will be fresh 
after the mowing, and to keep the pasture fresh cut 
only part of it at a time. This will tend to give rest, 
as well as to make better feed. Hogs may be left to 
subsist exclusively on the green alfalfa, but better 
results are obtained by feeding with it a small quantitj^ 
of grain. Exceedingly large returns are obtained 
from the small quantities fed; the alfalfa being green 
and bulky needs the grain to balance its effedl. The 
pasturage not onl}^ affords a cheap growth, but the 
bulky character expands the digestive tracft of the 
hog, thus enabling it to utilize a large quantity of 
feed when the finishing period comes, which is a 
very important consideration. Excellent results may 
also be obtained by cutting the alfalfa and feeding 
it green to the hogs, but pasturing is more satis- 
fa6lor3^ 

The worth of alfalfa for hogs is not confined to its 
use when green, as the dr}^ hay is very valuable. The 
Kansas Experiment Station fed fattening hogs grain 



58 AI.FAI,FA 

and dry alfalfa hay just thrown in the pen in forksful 
as compared with grain alone, and secured 868 pounds 
of pork per ton of alfalfa hay. The hogs fed grain 
and alfalfa hay made a gain in nine weeks of 90.9 
pounds per head, and the hogs fed grain alone for the 
same time gained 52.4 pounds per head. A bushel of 
grain and 7.83 pounds of alfalfa hay produced 10.88 
pounds of gain, while a bushel of grain alone produced 
only 7.48 pounds of gain. Pigs at the experiment 
station pastured through the summer on alfalfa, after 
deducing the probable gain due to a small allowance 
of corn, made a gain of 776 pounds of pork for each 
acre of pasture. These fadls indicate that the most 
profitable produ(5lion of pork is possible only when 
alfalfa is used as a part of the swine ration. It is not 
impossible that in the near future the hog that eats 
alfalfa will regulate the price of pork. 

Alfalfa may be pastured lightly with hogs the 
second year after sowing, but it is best to wait until 
the third year. Under no consideration is it safe to 
the alfalfa to pasture it the first year. After the 
plants have obtained root-hold, as they will by the 
third year, the hogs cannot pull them up, and if given 
plenty of range and a little grain they will not root to 
any extent. The alfalfa should be disked and harrowed 
at least every spring to keep the field smooth. If 
grass is troublesome, disking any time during the 
summer will be beneficial. 

Alfalfa hay for hogs should be specially cut and 
cured for this purpose. The hay should contain as 
large proportion of leaves and as small stems as pos- 
sible, as hogs do not eat the coarser parts. The last 
cutting is generally the best for hogs, and should be 



i 




P - %''' 


■ 








6o AI.FAI.FA 

cut just as the first bloom appears; the stems will then 
be less woody, and the hogs will like it better. The 
best care should be taken in curing this hay. The 
leaves are especially valuable, and should be retained as 
far as possible. The hay should be stacked or shedded 
near where the hogs are to be fed during the 
winter. 

The best device for feeding is a flat trough three 
feet wide and six inches deep, and long enough to 
accommodate the number of hogs. Throw the alfalfa 
in this, and the hogs will do the rest; some of the 
larger stems may be rejected and can be thrown out. 
The trough saves the leaves which may fall off and 
will be picked up later. Grinding the hay to a meal 
and feeding in various ways has been tried, but feed- 
ing the whole hay gives the best results. 

Alfalfa hay is especially valuable for brood-sows 
and young pigs. Corn contains too much fat-produc- 
ing and not enough blood, bone, and muscle-forming 
material for these classes of hogs; alfalfa contains this 
growth-producing material in abundance, and is cool- 
ing and laxative — the two important qualities in the 
feed of the brood-sows, especially just previous to far- 
rowing. There is always more or less complaint com- 
ing from the stridfly corn-growing distri(5ls concerning 
the poor "luck" sows are having with their pigs, 
but this is not common where alfalfa is made a part of 
their feed. The reason for the trouble is that a stridlly 
corn diet does not furnish the material for the pigs in 
the fetal stage. They are starved on corn. Good 
alfalfa is the cheapest and best preventive of most hog 
diseases, as it keeps the animals in thrifty condition 
and thereby less susceptible to disease. 



ALFAIvFA FOR HORSKS 6 1 



AIvFAIvFA FOR HORSFS 



Alfalfa is extensively used for horses, both as hay 
and pasture. The hay alone is too rich a feed for 
mature horses, and as a consequence there is a great 
deal of complaint attending its use, especially when 
the change is first made to alfalfa. The horse that has 
its feed changed from prairie, timothy, or any other 
hay, to alfalfa, unless the change is very gradual, 
becomes the vicftim of a number of derangements. The 
rich hay stimulates nearly every physical process, the 
most noticeable being the urinary and perspiratory 
glands. The blood may become thickened, and various 
disorders and complications appear. It is not the alfalfa 
but the feeding that is at fault. The alfalfa had better 
be fed to other stock than work-horses, and this is 
especially true of driving or road horses, although 
there are many that never have had any other forage. 
These live and work hard to a good old age, but it 
takes time to get the digestive apparatus accustomed 
to so strong a feed. The change must be very gradual, 
and should be accompanied by a decrease in grain. 
The older the horses are and the more accustomed they 
have been to a regular and different diet the more difii- 
cult it will be to change. For horses alfalfa hay should 
be somewhat further advanced at cutting than for other 
stock. The ripest hay can be fed them to best advan- 
tage. For colts or growing horses, where size and 
strength are sought, alfalfa hay or pasture is especially 
adapted, as it will produce a strong and vigorous 
growth. It is especially important that horses receiv- 
ing alfalfa hay be given plenty of exercise. On the H. 
D. Watson 2,500-acre alfalfa ranch, near Kearney, 



62 AI.FALFA 

Nebraska, a number of teams were worked for a month 
in hot weather at draining a swamp, and fed nothing 
for the entire time but alfalfa hay, with very httle loss 
of flesh. Horses, if not given sufficient range, will 
gnaw growing alfalfa so close as to kill it out. 

ALFALFA FOR SHKKP 

Alfalfa holds the same place in the estimation of 
of sheep-growers who have used it as among cattle and 
hog raisers. It is, however, used for sheep almost exclu- 
sively as hay, as the sheep is extremely susceptible to 
bloat from eating green alfalfa. Sheep-growers who 
have alfalfa hay can put lambs on the market in less 
time and at less cost than with any other forage. 
J. B. Wing, of Ohio, prefers it to red clover, and says 
it is almost pitiable to watch the sheep when a change 
is made even from alfalfa to clover. They will bleat 
and behave in such a way as to indicate that they con- 
sider themselves victims of a very unkind trick. 
Alfalfa also increases the wool yield. As a rule it is 
wise to keep sheep away from growing alfalfa. 

ALFALFA FOR POULTRY 

Alfalfa is becoming very popular as a poultry food, 
both green and as hay, also as silage, giving variety 
and succulence, which are always acceptable. The 
alfalfa is rich in nitrogen, which is necessary for the 
production of the albumen in eggs and essential to the 
growth of young fowls. All classes of poultry relish 
the tender green alfalfa, especially if they are kept in 
small yards. Alfalfa for winter feed should be the last 
cutting, which is generally largely leaves with small 



AI^FAlvFA AS A HONKY PI,ANT 63 

Stems. The hay should be chopped up in some way. 
Using a heavy half-barrel with the bottom resting on 
a solid base and chopping with a sharp spade is a very 
pradlical method. Mix from a fourth to a half their 
bulk with corn-meal or bran, pour hot water over the 
mass and cover to keep in the steam, and let stand six 
to ten hours before feeding. The bran is rich in lime, 
and aids in the production of the egg-shell and the 
bone of young birds. If bran is used the mixture 
has a laxative tendency, and perhaps cannot be fed 
every day. The careful poultry-grower finds in alfalfa 
a helpful friend. 

ALFAIvFA AS A HONKY PLANT 

Alfalfa is the greatest honey plant known to modern 
agriculture. It is superior to white clover, sweet 
clover, or buckwheat, and under favorable conditions 
gives a honey flow from June till October. The 
farmers in the alfalfa-growing distric5ls are only begin- 
ning to appreciate their opportunities for honey pro- 
duc5lion. There were 57,722 stands of bees in Kansas 
in 1899. ^^^ average honey producfl per stand was 
given as a little over thirteen pounds for the whole 
state. Eighteen Eastern counties, where alfalfa is 
scarcely known, produced only 7.6 pounds of honey per 
stand. These eighteen counties contained about 
thirty-eight per cent, of the bees of the state, 21,918 
stands, and produced only twenty-two per cent, 
of the honey. The following table illustrates the 
value of alfalfa in honey produdlion. The counties 
seledled are the leading honey-producing counties of 
the state: 



64 



ALFALFA 



HONEY PRODUCTION IN KANSAS ALFALFA COUNTIES COMPARED 
WITH COUNTIES WHERE LITTLE ALFALFA IS GROWN. 











Av. No. 


Total 


No. acres 




COUNTY. pounds 


yield in 


in 


Date. 


per hive. 


pounds. 


alfalfa. 


1897 


Douglas 12 


15,112 


3g6 


1898 


Douglas . . . 






I2f 


20,714 


604 


1899 


Douglas . . . 






5i 


5,576 


592 


1S97 


Finney .... 






25f 


13,665 


11,725 


1898 


Finney .... 






70 


50,535 


11,795 


1899 


Finney .... 






36 


20,825 


11,541 


1897 


Leavenworth 






I2i 


11,888 


66 


1898 


Leavenworth 






III 


19,588 


349 


1899 


Leavenworth 






4i 


4.014 


218 


1897 


Washington . 






. 3o| 


42 777 


763 


1898 


Washington . 


. 


. 2lf 


50,389 


1,139 


1899 


Washington . 






. 23,^ 


54,531 


2,072 



Dr. E. C. Franklin and Mr. J. C. Swayze, of the 
Kansas State University, have made chemical and 
physical tests of alfalfa honey in comparison with five 
other common sorts, and alfalfa leads the list in every 
desirable quality. 

In favorable seasons one hundred pounds per hive 
is no uncommon yield of honey in alfalfa regions. 
Excessively dry, hot weather, or cool, wet weather, are 
conditions detrimental to a good yield of honey. Many 
other flow^ers do not secrete nedtar after being polli- 
nated, but the alfalfa blossom continues to secrete its 
nedlar until beginning to wither. 



MAKING A BALANCED RATION 

In Press Bulletin No. 12, from the Kansas Experi- 
ment Station, the following is given to illustrate some- 
what how a balanced ration would differ from others 



MAKING A BAlvANCKD RATION 65 

into which consideration of a proper balance had not 
entered : 

' ' Many feeders have asked us to explain what a 
balanced ration is. There are three important groups 
of substances in feeds — protein, carbohydrates, and 
fat. Protein includes all materials in feeds which con- 
tain nitrogen. It enters into the composition of milk, 
blood, muscle, hair, and the brain and nerves, and is 
necessary in the formation of these, and no other sub- 
stance can take its place. Protein is also used in the 
body in producing heat, energy, and fat. Carbohy- 
drates include the fiber of feeds, the sugars, starch, 
and gums, and furnish heat, energy, and fat to the 
body. The fats in the food produce heat, energy, and 
fat in the body. Carbohydrates and fat can take each 
other's places, one pound of fat being worth 2.2 
pounds of carbohydrates for production of heat in the 
body. 

* ' Extended investigations have shown that to ob- 
tain the best results feed should be given which will 
furnish these materials in the following proportions: 
Dairy cow — protein, 2}4 pounds; carbohydrates, 12;^ 
pounds; fat, ^ pound. Fattening steer — protein, 2^ 
to 3 pounds ; carbohydrates, 15 pounds ; fat, ^ to ^ 
pound. Growing cattle — protein, 4 pounds ; carbohy- 
drates, 13^^ pounds ; fat, 2 pounds ; for a young 
animal, gradually decreasing the proportion of protein 
until at the age of two years the proportions are similar 
to those for the fattening steer, but less in quantity. 
A pig two to three months old needs feeds containing 
seven and one-half pounds of protein to each thirty 
pounds of carbohydrates and fat, while a year-old pig 
needs seven and one-half pounds of protein to each 



66 ALFAIyFA 

forty-eight pounds of carbohydrates and fat. Feeds 
containing a greater proportion of protein than 
called for by these standards can be fed, because pro- 
tein can take the place of the other materials. Carbo- 
hydrates and fat cannot take the place of protein, 
however, and no matter in how large quantities they 
may be fed, if protein is lacking the growth or gain 
will be reduced. 

"The weak point in feeding is that the average 
rations are greatly deficient in protein, and have too 
much carbohydrates and fat. Every feeder knows 
that good pasture produces rapid growth, good gains, 
and abundant milk yields. It furnishes nutriment in 
the proportion of three pounds of protein, twelve 
pounds of carbohydrates, and one-half pound of fat. 
The proportions in some of our feeds, in pounds per 
I GO pounds of feed, are as follows: 

Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. 

Corn 7.8 66.7 1.6 

Kafir-corn 7.8 57.1 2.7 

Prairie hay 3.5 41.8 1.4 

Corn fodder 2.0 33-2 0.6 

Sorghum hay 2.4 40.6 1.2 

' * It will be seen that none of these feeds contain a 
sufficient proportion of protein to secure best results, 
and all combinations of these feeds will have the same 
defea. 

' ' Some feeds have too great a proportion of protein 
to be fed alone, as shown below, the figures indicating 
pounds per 100 pounds of feed: 



MAKING 


A BALANCKD RATION 






Protein, 


Carbohydrates. 


Fat. 


Alfalfa hay . . 


. . I0.6 


37.3 


1.4 


Gluten-meal . . 


. . 3I-I 


43-9 


4.8 


Linseed-oil meal 


. . 28.8 


32.8 


7-1 


Cottonseed-meal 


• • 37.0 


16.5 


12.6 


Soy-bean . . . 


. . 39-6 


22.3 


14.4 



67 



' ' Making a balanced ration is combining the feeds 
deficient in protein with those having an excess of it, 
to make a ration which will contain the right propor- 
tions for the animal fed. 

* ' A balanced ration will produce much better re- 
sults than the ordinary ration, which is too high in 
carbohydrates. A cow gave five pounds of butter per 
week on an ordinary ration, and twelve to fourteen 
pounds on a balanced ration. Two pounds per day 
is a good gain for steers on the usual fattening ration. 
Increasing the protein by substituting four pounds of 
linseed-oil meal for an equal quantity of corn in the 
regular ration, a feeder made three to four pounds 
gain per steer per day. Fattening pigs made a gain 
of nine and one-half pounds per bushel of Kafir-corn 
eaten. When one-fifth of the Kafir-corn was taken 
out and soy-bean meal substituted for it, increasing 
the protein, a gain of thirteen pounds was made for 
each bushel of grain eaten. ' ' 

By referring to the following tables the ration may 
be computed for any class of animals. The feeding 
standards are the result of careful investigation, and 
show the proportions in which the different feed prin- 
ciples should be fed for the best results. The digest- 
ible nutrients of a number of the common feeds given 
in the table on page 68 makes the computation easy, 
and by studying them the feeder can easily selecfl the 
feeds best adapted to his particular use: 



68 



ALFAI.FA 



FEKD STUFFS. DIGFSTIBI^F NUTRIENTS 



Concentrates : 

Barley 

Broom-corn seed 

Corn 

Corn-and-cob meal .... 

Cow-pea 

Cottonseed-meal 

Flaxseed 

Chicago gluten-meal . . . 

Kafir-corn seed 

lyinseed-oil meal (old process) 

I^inseed-oil meal (new process) 

Millet seed 

Oats 

Rye 

Sorghum seed 

Soy-bean meal 

Wheat 

Wheat bran 

Wheat middlings 

Wheat shorts 

Green Roughage : 

Alfalfa 

Corn silage (well eared) . . 

Fodder corn (with ears) 

Pasture grasses (mixed) . . 

Sorghum fodder 

Soy-bean 

Dry Roughage : 

Alfalfa hay 

Corn fodder (husked) . . . 

Cow-pea hay 

Fodder corn (planted thickly, 
with ears) 

Millet hay 

Oat hay 

Oat straw 

Orchard-grass hay .... 

Prarie hay 

Red-clover hay 

Sorghum hay 

Soy-bean hay 

Timothy hay 

Wheat straw 

Roots and Tubers : 

Mangels 

Sugar beets 

Turnips 

Milk: 

Whole milk 

Skim-milk 

Buttermilk 

Whey 



Digestible Nutrients. 
Pounds per 100 lbs. feed, 



Pro- 
tein. 



8.9 
7.4 
7.8 
6.5 
18.3 
37.0 
20.6 
31.1 
7.8 
28.8 
27.9 
8.9 
9.3 
9.1 
7.0 
29.6 
10.2 
12.3 
12.8 
12.2 

3.9 
1.3 
1.0 
2.5 
.6 
29.6 

10.6 
2.0 
10.8 

2.5 
4.5 
4.3 
1.6 
4.8 
3.5 
6.8 
2.4 
10.8 
2.9 



1.0 
1.1 

.8 

3.2 
3.9 

4.0 

.8 



Carbo- 

hy- 
drates. 



64.8 
48.3 
66.7 
56.3 
54 2 
16.5 
17.1 
43.9 
57.1 
32.8 
36.4 
45.0 
48.3 
69.7 
52.1 
22.3 
69.2 
37.1 
53.2 
50.0 

12.7 
14.0 
11.6 
10.2 
12.2 
22.3 

37.3 



33.4 

51.7 
46.4 
41.6 
42.0 
41.8 
35.4 
40.6 
38.7 
43.7 
37.9 



5.7 
10.2 
6.5 

5.0 
4.5 
4.1 
4.7 



Fat. 



1.6 
2.9 
4.3 
2.9 
1.1 
12.6 
29.0 
4.8 
2.7 
7.1 
2.7 
3.2 
4.2 
1.4 
3.1 
14.4 
1.7 
2.6 
3.4 
3.8 



.4 

14.4 



1.2 
1.4 
1.5 

1^4 
1.4 
1.7 
1.2 
1.5 
1.4 
.5 



3.6 
.1 
.1 
.3 



Calo- 
rics in 

one 
pound 



1438 
1158 
1567 
1290 
1395 
1526 
1925 
1598 
1321 
1445 
1310 
1038 
1249 
1525 
1230 
1573 
1549 
1029 
1371 
1317 

330 
314 
251 
257 

255 
1573 



955 

718 
1104 
1106 
833 
930 
902 
857 
850 
972 



129 
214 
140 

304 
160 
155 
104 



Nutri- 
tive 
Ratio. 
1: 



7.7 
7.4 
9.7 
9.7 
3.1 
1.2 
4.0 
1.7 
8.1 
1.7 
1.5 
5.9 
6.2 
8.0 
8.4 
1.8 
7.2 
3.5 
4.8 
4.8 

3.5 

11.9 
12.5 

4.5 
21.8 

1.8 

3.8 
17.3 



14.4 
12.2 
11.6 
27.0 

9.4 
12.8 

5.8 
18.0 

3.9 
16.2 
48.8 

5.9 
9.5 

8.4 

4.1 
1.2 
1.1 
6.7 



MAKING A BAI^ANCKD RATION 



69 



FEEDING STANDARDS FOR FARM ANIMAI^S 

(WOLFF) 

(Per Day per 1000 lbs., I,ive Weight.) 



ANIMALS. 



Milch cows 

Horses lightly worked 

moderately worked 
" heavily worked . 
Fattening steers, 1st period 
" 2d 
" 3d 

Fattening swine, 1st period 
" 2d 
" 3d 



Growing Cattle : 
(Age in Mos.) 

2- 3 

3- 6 
6-12 

12-18 
18-24 

Growing Pigs : 

2- 3 

3- 5 
5- 6 
6-8 
8-12 



(Av. live wt 
per head. ) 

165 lbs. 

330 " 

550 " 

770 " 

940 " 



55 
110 
137 
187 
275 



Nutritive (Digestible) 
Substances. 




5.4 
7.0 
7.0 
6.0 
6.5 
5.5 
6.0 

5.5 
6.0 
6.5 



4.7 

5.0 
6.0 
7.0 
8.0 



MILCH COWS. 

(lyehmann's Standard.) 


2. 

5* 


Q 
0- 

13* 

n 
tn 




^ 


i 



tn 


(i 
p 
0* 

1: 


When yielding daily— 

11.0 lbs. milk 

16.6 lbs. milk 

22.0 lbs. milk 

27.5 lbs. milk 


1.6 
2.0 
2.5 
3.3 


10. 

11. 

13. 
13. 








3 
4 
5 

8 


22,842 
25,868 
30,940 
33,694 


6.7 
6.0 
5.7 
4.5 



70 AI.FAI,FA 

AI^FALFA IN ROTATION 

Because alfalfa does not produce a crop generally 
the first year, and is not at its prime until three years 
old, it does not appear so well adapted to rotation as 
■ some other crops. This is largely because a rotation 
lasting four or five years does not conform to general 
experience. 

Where alfalfa is allowed to succeed itself 3^ear after 
year, a large proportion of the benefit which might be 
derived from its power to enrich the soil is lost. 
Alfalfa itself has little use for the atmospheric nitrogen 
which it stores in the soil, nor for the surplus of ash 
elements which it draws from the subsoil, for it can 
draw more from the same sources as they are needed. 
Unless alfalfa is soon followed by crops that need and 
can make use of the fertility which it has rendered 
available, this fertility is in a considerable measure 
wasted. The only method of growing alfalfa so that 
the most benefit may be derived from it is to make it 
part of a rotation. A non-leguminous crop following a 
few seasons' growth of alfalfa will make use of the fer- 
tility gathered, to the marked profit of the planter. 

In Colorado, where alfalfa is grown extensively 
and as well understood as in any other state, it is 
common practice of the best farmers to grow it in rota- 
tion with other crops. They make it a rule to allow 
their alfalfa plantings to stand four or five j^ears only, 
and it may be observed that as a usual thing the farm- 
ers who grow alfalfa on the same lands without a 
change are of the same general class as those who crop 
their land to wheat successively for a long period of 
years. Those who have tried it are thoroughly con- 
vinced by experience that it pays much better to break 



Atl^AIvFA IN ROTAT'ION 71 

Up the alfalfa fields every few years. One of the most 
extensive and successful growers in Araphoe County 
was asked : ' ' Can you afford to plow up your alfalfa 
fields after getting the crops of but three seasons from 
them ? Does not the heavy expense of reseeding, in- 
volving the almost total loss of the use of the land for 
a year, make it necessary that you should allow it to 
remain in alfalfa longer, to make it profitable ?" 

The reply was : ' ' We certainly cannot allow alfalfa 
to stand much longer than three seasons. We must 
have land on which to sow oats and plant corn and po- 
tatoes, and we have found that there is no other half so 
good as alfalfa sod. It seems almost too bad to plow 
alfalfa under so soon after it has cost us a year's time 
to get it established, but it really is the best thing that 
we can do. We lost perhaps $io an acre through not 
having any returns from the land during the season 
the alfalfa is sown, but the same amount expended in 
manuring would not benefit succeeding crops nearly so 
much as growing them on the inverted alfalfa sod, so 
we feel justified in turning under the alfalfa and seed- 
ing other fields. ' ' 

There is not a crop that will not make good and 
profitable use of the fertility stored by the alfalfa, pro- 
viding it is properly managed. It would not be wis- 
dom to turn under alfalfa in September and Odlober 
and sow at once to wheat, for the ground would be so 
loose as to dry out rapidly and render the outcome of 
the crop very problematic, but alfalfa may be turned 
under in July, after the first crop has been cut, and the 
land sown to fall wheat at the proper season with a good 
chance for success. Some of the farmers around 
Greeley prefer a three-crop rotation — alfalfa, potatoes, 



72 ALFAI^FA 

and grain, allowing for each of these occupying one- 
third of the farm every year; that is to say, the place 
is given over to these three crops, but they are 
alternated each year. 

The following summary from a bulletin on ' ' Alfalfa 
as a Fertilizer," by the Wyoming Experiment Station, ' 
is suggestive if not conclusive: 

* * The most important fertilizer, for the arid or 
semi-arid region, is nitrogen, 

"Some plants, of which alfalfa is one, have the 
power to fix in the soil the free nitrogen of the air. 
They do this by means of micro-organisms which form 
bunches or nodules on the roots. 

' ' Therefore, growing alfalfa on the land increases 
the quantity of nitrogen in the soil and pradlically 
solves the fertilizer problem for the West. 

' ' Alfalfa also improves the soil tilth by shading 
the ground and adding humus by decay of its large, 
deep-growing roots. 

" Growing alfalfa destroys weeds. 

* ' The value of alfalfa harvested from one-half 
acre of land for five years at Laramie was about $50 
more than the cost of producing it. 

" The value of potatoes and grain from an adjoin- 
ing half-acre for five years was about $44 more than 
the cost of producing at local prices. 

' * When alfalfa land was plowed and planted to 
wheat it produced $8 to $12 more value in wheat per 
acre than the land which had grown potatoes and 
grain before. 

' * When alfalfa land was plowed and planted to 
oats, it produced $16 worth of grain more than land 
which had grown potatoes and grain before. 



TURKESTAN AI,FAI,FA — A HARDY NEW VARIETY 73 

' * When alfalfa land was plowed and planted to 
potatoes it had $16 worth more of potatoes per acre 
than was obtained from land which had grown potatoes 
and grain before. 

*' By growing alfalfa, the above increase of yield 
and values were produced with absolutely no cost for 
fertilizing the land." 

TURKESTAN AI.FAI,FA — A HARDY NEW VARIETY 

Within a year or two interest has sprung up in 
what is claimed as a peculiarly hardy or cold and dry 
weather-resisting variety of alfalfa from Asia, and 
known as ''Turkestan." Prof. N. B. Hansen, of the 
South Dakota Experiment Station, who was sent to 
Asia by the United States Department of Agriculture 
to investigate this plant, writes of it in March, 1900, 
thus: 

"The usually severe winter of 1898-99 killed off 
probably half of the alfalfa in Nebraska, Colorado, 
Wyoming, and many fields in the central prairie 
states to the eastward were badly damaged, but the 
Turkestan alfalfa grown in the states mentioned was 
not affedled. At the Wyoming Experiment Station a 
plat of Turkestan alfalfa was exposed for two weeks 
without injury to a daily temperature of thirty-five 
degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest point reached being 
forty-five degrees. In California it was subjedled 
without damage to a drouth which seriously injured 
ordinary alfalfa. 

" At the experiment station at Brookings, S. D., 
with a minimum temperature last winter of forty 
degrees below zero, with the ground bare, the common 



74 AIvFAlvFA 

alfalfa was killed, while this variety from the heart of 
Asia came through unharmed. 

' ' One of the main instru(5lions of Secretary Wilson 
in sending the writer on his trip in 1897-98, of nearly 
ten months, was to secure, if possible, a hardy drouth- 
resisting, leguminous forage-plant from the elevated 
table-lands of Asia. Upon reaching Russia the gov- 
ernment agricultural authorities at Moscow and St. 
Petersburg told me of this plant. It is distincfl from 
common alfalfa, which has come to us largely from 
Spain. Botanically the difference is expressed by 
Russian authorities in naming Turkestan alfalfa Medi- 
cago sativa Turkestanica, while common alfalfa is called 
Medicago sativa. 

" Prince Massalaski, of the Department of Agricul- 
ture at St. Petersburg, writes : ' lyUzerne clover (^Medi- 
cago sativa, var. Turkestanica) is the chief forage in 
use throughout Central Asia, and to the settled popu- 
lation of Turkestan is of the highest importance, 
since during the summer it forms the chief, and in the 
winter, prepared in the shape of hay, the only fodder 
for cattle. It is of all the greater importance because 
within the region populated by settled inhabitants 
there are no meadows. Soft herbs and other grasses 
that grow up in the early spring in certain parts of the 
steppes are quickly dried up by the hot sun, and give 
place to coarse prickly stubble, or in any case to less 
nutritious grasses, that are in general unfitted for 
sheep, camels, or steppe cattle, and still less fitted for 
horses or the cattle of those who are settled in the oases, 
and are thus closely confined to the foreland or rivers, 
and in most cases are far removed from the steppes. ' 

' ' Massalaski describes the native methods of culti- 



TURKKSTAN AI.FAI.FA— A HARDY NEW VARIETY 75 

vation, and continues: ' The native lucerne would seem 
to be a cattle fodder that cannot be replaced in coun- 
tries so dry and so hot as Turkestan and the Trans- 
caspian province. Parallel experiments that have been 
made in the Merv Oases, in the Transcaspian province, 
in growing French lucerne, under widely different 
conditions of water supply, have shown that the native 
lucerne, particularly where there is a lack of water, is 
vastly superior to the French in the crop it yields, and 
that it is able to grow satisfactorily with a minimum 
supply of water — a supply so small that the European 
(common) lucerne would perish from drouth. This 
peculiarity of the native lucerne is to be explained by 
its peculiar formation. It possesses a very large root 
system, and its leaves are covered with thick down; 
this, in connedlion with a deep-cut orifice on the leaf, 
enables the plant, on the one hand, to imbibe the 
moisture from the deeper layers of the soil, and on the 
other hand to exhale it in very small quantity. ' 

* * Along the Volga River, at the dry -region experi- 
ment stations of Eastern European Russia, I found this 
plant doing well, and when I got to the desert and semi- 
desert regions of Turcomania, Bokara, and the Semi- 
re tchinsk provinces of Russian Turkestan, all east of 
the Caspian Sea, I made a careful study of the plant. 
Here were camels by the thousand, and clouds of dust 
often so thick that a wet sponge was found to be 
essential for relative comfort and breathing. I was so 
pleased with what I had seen of this plant that I did 
not stop until fully 18,000 pounds of seed was secured, 
chiefly from the cotton-growing sedlions among the 
Sarts or native Mohammedans. 

"The main reason for making the overland journey 



76 ALFAI^FA 

of over 2,000 miles (1,300 by wagon, 700 by sleigh) 
from Tashkent, the capital of Russian Turkestan, to 
Omsk, in Siberia, via Kuldja, in Western China, was 
to trace this plant to its northern limits, which we 
found to be near Kopal, in Siberia (latitude 45° 10', 
longitude 79° 10' east of Greenwich). Kuldja, in 
Sungaria, Western China, is in latitude 53° 50', longi- 
tude 81° 20' east, and was the farthest point 
reached in my journey (about half-way around the 
globe) . Seed was secured from eight different sources, 
but of course only small lots could be obtained from 
the places visited in the overland journey. The 
interesting and to me the most surprising facft is that 
the alfalfa which proved so hardy at Brookings, S. D., 
was from the cotton secSlion of Turkestan. So that the 
plant stands cold as well as drouth. This indicates 
that in this plant we have an alfalfa that will be hardy 
to our northern borders, and probably north into 
Canada. ' ' 



ALFALFA CULTURE AND INSECT 
LIFE 

Prof. S. J. HuNT:eR, Entomologist in the Kansas 
State University, who spent three seasons in the alfalfa 
fields of western Kansas, making a close study of 
insedls in relation to alfalfa, states his observations 
and conclusions succindlly to the State Board of Agri- 
culture as follows: 

* ' The peculiar adaptation of the Arkansas valley 
to the luxuriant growth of the alfalfa plant has caused 
the conversion of large areas of that fertile region into 
alfalfa meadows. Wherever we find the natural food- 
plants of a region so largely supplanted by one form 
we find there changed conditions and interesting prob- 
lems, both from the agricultural and the biological 
standpoint. 

*'In 1897 letters bearing upon these changed con- 
ditions were received, and it seemed highly important 
that these inquiries should be fully answered. Accord- 
ingly, in the fall of 1897 Edwards and Ford counties 
were visited, and a careful study of the conditions 
existing there at that season noted. With the encour- 
agement of the farmers of the region, it was decided to 
begin the following spring a careful study of the rela- 
tions existing between alfalfa and insect life. These 
investigations continued throughout that season, and 
were resumed again this year. The subjecfl-matter of 
this paper, then, is based upon the pra(5lical results of 
the three seasons' study in this region, together with 
a survey of territory to be named later. 

77 



78 ALFALFA 

THK native: grasshoppkr 

" The fall visit of 1897 revealed the fac5l that, as 
had been brought forth by correspondence, there was 
a species of grasshopper there which at times became 
of some local economic importance, curtailing the yield 
of the alfalfa around the borders of the field, sometimes 
taking an entire field, and frequently being present in 
numbers sufficient to prevent the formation of seed, 
yet not in numbers great enough to destroy the forage. 
It was noticed that these inserts deposited their eggs 
late in the fall, about 100 in a pod, an inch below the 
surface of the alfalfa meadow. Here these eggs winter. 
The insedls which come from these eggs in the spring 
are natives of the soil, and appear only upon cultivated 
lands under given conditions — viz., an undisturbed 
land for the safe retention of their eggs during the 
winter, and an early spring food-plant for the nourish- 
ment of the young upon their appearance. Wherever 
these conditions exist this species of grasshopper may 
be expedled to appear in numbers proportionate to the 
area of the ground furnishing such conditions. 

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST 

' ' It may be well at this time, in view of the fadl 
that there is an erroneous idea prevalent that Kansas 
alone is subjedl to grasshoppers, to speak of the states 
comparatively. Since whatever unfavorable comment 
Kansas may have received has been caused by the 
presence of the Rocky Mountain locust, I have thought 
well to present a comparative historical table showing 
the number of annual visits of grasshoppers to the 
various states in the Union within the period of 1851 



DESTROY THK KGGS 



79 



to 1878, the latter being the last year that Kansas was 
seriously affeAed by these insedls: 

NUMBER OF ANNUAL VISITATIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUN- 
TAIN LOCUST DURING THE PERIOD 185I-1878 — 
TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS. 



Utah . 
Minnesota 
Montana 
Dakota . 
Texas . 
Iowa 
Kansas . 
Nebraska 
Colorado 



26 
18 
18 
17 
15 
15 
14 
13 
12 



Wyoming . . 

Missouri . . 
Idaho . 
Indian Territory 
Nevada 

Washington . 

Oregon . . . 

New Mexico . 

Arkansas . . 



" Kansas is the seventh in the list, and since that 
date some other states, notably Virginia and Minne- 
sota, have suffered severely from the presence of grass- 
hoppers. Kansas, then, noted for many of its agri- 
cultural produc5ls, cannot by any means be said to 
stand first in the produc^tion of these inseAs. 

DESTROY THK EGGS 

'* The grasshopper referred to is not the famous mi- 
gratory Rocky Mountain locust, but an insedl which 
lives and dies near its birthplace. Since these insedls 
hibernate in the egg stage, endeavor was made to sup- 
ply the ' ' ounce of prevention. ' ' How, then, to destroy 
these eggs and yet maintain the integrity of the alfalfa 
plant became the first problem ; for, you see, for every 
grasshopper egg destroyed, not only the subsequent 
damage caused by the insedt after hatching is removed, 
but the possibility of each of these same insedls repro- 
ducing another one hundred of its kind is also set 



8o AI.FALFA 

aside. It is frequently supposed that all grasshoppers 
withdraw to the roadways and places free from trash 
to deposit their eggs. It is not so with this species, 
since they lay their eggs right in the alfalfa field, and 
not infrequently dig the hole right down through the 
roots of a bunch of grass. 

' ' A study of the alfalfa plant itself became necessary 
before further procedure. It was found that it secured 
its water-supply through roots extending some twelve 
to fourteen feet beneath the surface, and that the 
crown could be split in several parts and yet the life 
of the plant go on unimpaired. In the spring of 1898 
it was recommended, therefore, to the farmers inter- 
ested, that they disk their alfalfa meadows as early in 
the spring as the ground became tillable after the 
frost, thus breaking up these egg-pods and exposing 
them to be destroyed by birds, other insedls, and cli- 
matic influences. This disking many of the farmers 
feared would destroy the alfalfa itself. One hundred 
and sixty acres of alfalfa which had been sown two 
years previously on sod were given for a test. The 
disk-harrow was run over it in March, and the ground 
was cross-harrowed with a slant-tooth leveling-harrow. 
When the work was done the field presented much the 
appearance of a wheat-field ready for the seed. 

''On the ist of July, 1898, with tent and full 
laboratory equipments, the writer established a field- 
station near this experimental quarter-section in 
order to study the eflfe(5ls of disking upon this alfalfa, 
and also to observe further the habits of the grasshop- 
per. While suitable quarters could have been secured 
at farmhouses, it was found more pradlicable to live right 
in the meadow, since certain observations upon the 



THEJ Al^FAlvFA BENEFITED 8 1 

habits of insedls required the observer's presence in the 
early morning and the late evening. And, further, it 
was found that with the field-station located in this 
way it was more readily accessible to the farmers 
in the vicinity. These farmers made frequent visits 
to our camp, always with inquiries, and with an evi- 
dent desire to profit by the investigations under way. 

THE AlvFAI^FA BENEFITED 

'' On the 23d of July the first crop of alfalfa upon 
this experimental quarter-section was cut, and photo- 
graphs taken, both of the standing forage and of the 
hay in swath and windrow. The average hight of 
the stalks was twenty-nine inches, stalks of extreme 
length being found thirty-three inches. The yield of 
this first crop was one and one-fourth tons per acre. 
The grasshoppers had not appeared. Not only had 
they disappeared, but the native grasses which threat- 
ened to reclaim the land were likewise eliminated. 
Two quarter-sections of alfalfa land not far removed 
from this spot were rendered pra(5lically worthless by 
the presence of large numbers of grasshoppers through- 
out the growing season. 

' ' The results thus far, to say the least, were grati- 
fying. The pradlical benefits derived from this cul- 
ture, however, were more emphatically expressed upon 
the appearance of the second crop, which matured, 
indisturbed by grasshoppers, some ten days earlier 
than adjoining meadows, and bearing stalks of extreme 
length of thirty-two inches; average length, twenty- 
eight inches. The average yield of this crop was one 
ton per acre. At the close of this season of 1898 I 
thought it well to have a statement of the comparative 



82 AlyFAI^FA 

yields from Superintendent Smart, under whose direc- 
tion this land was disked, and who likewise harvested 
a large acreage that season. His statement I will give 
verbatim: ' In regard to the yield of alfalfa on our 
lands, I will say that the first crop raised on land that 
was disked was about one and one-fourth tons per acre, 
and the second crop one ton per acre. We have 
harvested on our other lands in Edwards and Ford 
counties, the past year, about 2,500 acres, and the 
average yield for the first crop was three-fourths ton 
per acre, and the second crop one-half ton.' 

' * From this statement it will be readily seen that the 
disking added one-half ton per acre to each crop. In 
other words, 160 tons, or eight additional twenty- ton 
ricks of alfalfa hay, were cut from and stacked upon 
that quarter-section of Kansas land in the one season 
because of this cultivation with harrows. 

' ' While the second crop was growing that season I 
left the field-station in Edwards County and made a 
cursory survey of the alfalfa-growing distri(5ls of 
Edwards, Ford, Finney, Hamilton, Greele}^, Wallace, 
Logan, Thomas, Sherman, Decatur, and Norton coun- 
ties, and nowhere under any conditions did I observe 
such a fine quality of alfalfa as grew that season upon 
this experimental quarter-sedlion. 

CONFIRMED BY FURTHER EXPERIMENTS 

*' One season's study not being sufiicient to thor- 
oughly satisfy us, this method of culture was resumed, 
and 800 acres were disked in a like manner this spring, 
giving equally satisfactory results. The yield was not 
quite so great, owing to the fadl that these lands were 
closely pastured until about the ist of May, after which 



KFFKCT OF DISKING ON ROOTS AND STKMS 83 

the crop was allowed to grow for hay. The strong, 
vigorous growth of the plant, however, was noticeable; 
likewise the almost total absence of grasshoppers and 
native grasses were points noted by the farmers as they 
drove over the meadows under experimentation. The 
160 acres disked in 1898 were left uncultivated last 
spring, and the beneficial effedls of the previous sea- 
son's culture appeared again last season, since in both 
the first and second crops there was a material increase 
in the yield over that on adjoining lands. In fadl, my 
observations now go to show that in the territory under 
discussion, where alfalfa is sown upon sod, if this 
method of culture is not carried on, the native grasses 
will crowd out the alfalfa and reclaim the soil, where- 
as, on the contrary, if this method of culture is vigor- 
ously prosecuted, a strong, hearty, produdlive forage 
plant is the result. 

* ' Plans had been made to condudl experiments upon 
this method of culture in other parts of the state. In 
every case the continued wet weather kept the soil in 
a condition untillable until the alfalfa had grown several 
inches. Mr. John H. Silsby, of Le Roy, Coffey County, 
however, by way of experiment, disked five acres 
when the alfalfa was six inches high, resulting in a 
noticeable increase in the yield. 

f:ffe:ct of disking on roots and stkms 

* ' Getting down to the foundation of the matter, ten 
roots were dug this season just as they grew in the 
drill-row in an average place in three fields — and here 
it might be said that all alfalfa under experimentation " 
was sowed in 1896 upon newly broken sod in the same 
vicinity, so the conditions of all were as nearly as 



84 AI,FAI,FA 

possible alike. Ten roots, five of which are shown in 
Figs. 12, 13, 14, were taken from each of three fields, 
and a comparative study made of them is best illus- 
trated in tabular form: 

, Figures . 

12. 13. 14. 

Average thickness of tap-root, inches . 9-16 8-16 5-16 
Average number of root branches to each 

tap-root 5.4 5.1 4.2 

Average number of stalks to each branch 7 7 4 
Average number of forage-raising stalks 

to each tap-root 37.8 35.7 16.8 

KII^IvS THK CUTWORMS, TOO 

" In our field-camp in the summer of 1899 another 
proposition came before us — viz., the presence of cut- 
worms in the alfalfa. It is knowm to many who raised 
alfalfa that season that there was a little, dark-green, 
striped worm which did considerable damage in some 
alfalfa fields. This worm likewise spends the winter 
in chrysalis form, beneath the surface of the ground, 
and the disk-harrow will destroy it if applied in the 
early spring, after the frost has left the ground. 

AI.FAI,FA HONKY 

' ' In the condudl of these investigations the study 
of alfalfa as a honey plant and the a(5lion of bees 
thereon have come in for a share of our attention. 
Apiaries existing under various conditions in the 
alfalfa region have been visited, and correspondence 
carried on with leading apiarists from all parts of the 
state. 

' ' The ' alfalfa blossom is so constru(5led that it is 
impossible for it to fertilize itself; the pollen cannot 
fall upon the point of fertilization, but must be carried 




FIG. 12— SOWED 


IN 


1896 ; 


DISKED 


IN 


1898 


ft^ »-'»' ^■Jk.M^ 


♦ 




'■J'l.-Jito. *'. 


1, 


4sM 


: jr#^^iK 


i 


)B^M 




1 


^HRv 


J^tmH^HI 


1 


w 


' M •■» 


1 


^r 


1 ^^ 




«■ 






m 


•t ^ 










>%*■ 


.i • 




^ 


Vy^—- 




ft 






4 






IK 


^ 




' 


^V 




# 






\ 






/ 

1 



FIG. 13— SOWED IN 1896 ; DISKED IN 1899 




FIG. 14 — SOWED IN 1896 ; NOT DISKED 



86 AI.FALFA 

to that point by some agency. From the shape and 
size of the alfalfa blossom, it is not probable that cross- 
fertilization could be safely accomplished by means of 
currents of air. 

" It becomes evident, then, that outside agencies 
must be called upon, and the plant must provide for 
these agencies. The agents, in this case, we find to be 
insedls, and the reward offered by the plant for favors 
rendered is a sweet drop of nedlar; that is, the flower, 
in an enticing way, places a tempting sip of nedlar in 
such a position that when the insecfl has favored the 
flower with a few grains of pollen unconsciously 
brought from an adjoining blossom, and just as uncon- 
sciously left, the coveted sip may be enjoyed. It is 
evident, however, that the first fiower visited will not 
be cross-fertilized. 

"A hundred seed pods were gathered from a field 
twenty-five miles away from any other known colony 
of bees and another hundred pods from a field less than 
one-half mile from a large apiary. The pods of these 
two groups were counted, and it was found that the 
pods taken near by the bees averaged two-thirds 
greater number of seeds, and showed seed larger, 
plumper, and more uniform in size. And while the 
bees were condu(5ling this valuable seed-making work 
they were likewise garnering a quality of honey which, 
submitted to all known chemical tests, has proven 
itself equal if not superior to any other. 

"It has been my observation, further, that alfalfa 
will yield the greatest quantity of honey under circum- 
stances which tend to give the plant the most vigorous 
growth. If the plant is upon upland, dry weather 
will affe(5l the secretion of nedlar before it will in a 



AI.FAI.FA HONEY 87 

valley, such as the Arkansas, where the roots of the 
plants extend to the water. During a dry period bees 
will fly over other fields in bloom to a field which is 
irrigated and is beginning to bloom. 

' ' The greatest acflivity in apiculture in this state is 
to be found in the alfalfa regions. In the alfalfa-grow- 
ing portions of the state the average yield per hive in 
1898 exceeded sixty pounds, while in portions of the 
state where alfalfa was not a prominent f adlor in honey 
produdlion the bees did well to procure a livelihood for 
themselves without furnishing a surplus for their 
owners. Some hives situated in the alfalfa region were 
able to yield that season a surplus of 200 pounds of 
comb honey. 

' ' The conclusion of the three years' study of the 
alfalfa regions of Kansas, then, briefly stated, are that 
the highest returns from the alfalfa meadow are to be 
secured by an early spring cultivation of roots with 
the disk-harrow and a summer visitation of the blossoms 
by the honey-bee. ' ' 



DISKING AND HARROWING 

Prof. J. G. Hanky, of the Kansas Agricultural 
College, writing of the use of the disk and harrow on 
alfalfa, saj^s: " It is demonstrated beyond a doubt that 
alfalfa must have some cultivation to secure its best 
development. Statements of what it is possible to do 
for this plant with the disk or other harrow can scarcely 
be credited without demonstration. But cultivation 
with these will make alfalfa succeed in many places 
where it is now pronounced a failure, and will increase 
the yields and permanency. 

"After the first season's growth the alfalfa has 
rooted so deeply that it will withstand a surprising 
amount of surface disturbance. A thorough harrow- 
ing with a sharp harrow the spring after seeding, and 
after each cutting, especially if the surface soil is dry 
and crusted, will do a surprising amount of good. 
The harrow will not only destroy much grass and 
many weeds, but it loosens the surface, makes an 
earth mulch, and enables the new buds, which produce 
the new stems and usually come from below the sur- 
face, to push out more rapidly and with greater vigor. 

' * After the Alfalfa is two or three years old the 
disk-harrow can be used, and the alfalfa should be 
disked at least each spring just as it starts. Disk 
both wa5^s with the disks set nearly straight and 
weighted, and then harrow down smooth. The disk 
destroys all surface-rooted plants, but does not injure 

88 



DISKING AND HARROWING 89 

the deep, sturdy rooting alfalfa. The cutting and 
splitting of the crowns invigorates the growth and 
thickens the stand. If crab-grass and foxtail, or any 
other grasses, tend to spring up after the cuttings, as 
they will, especially during a dry time, disking and 
harrowing after cutting will keep the noxious growths 
back, and enable the alfalfa to make a quicker and 
more vigorous growth helpful to an increase in yield 
and in the number of cuttings. ' ' 

Prof. H. M. Cottrell, of the agricultural experiment 
station, Manhattan, Kan., writes: "Our first experi- 
ence in disking alfalfa was in 1898. A field had been 
seeded to alfalfa in the dry year of 1894 ^^^ ^ poor 
stand resulted. In 1897 this alfalfa was heavily pas- 
tured by hogs. The hogs were taken off early in the 
fall and a heavy growth of crab-grass came up. The 
crab-grass was so thick and the stand of alfalfa so thin 
that it was not worth keeping. 

" lyate in March, 1898, this field was harrowed with 
a disk-harrow, the disks sharp and set at as great an 
angle as possible. It was immediately cross-disked 
with the disks set the same way. The ground was 
thoroughly pulverized and the alfalfa apparently 
destro3^ed. It soon started, branched out thickly, and 
we made three good cuttings from the field that summer. 

"In 1900 we went a step further in disking alfalfa. 
The season was very dry at Manhattan, the rainfall in 
June being 1. 19 inches, in July 4.51 inches, and in 
August 2.84 inches. Two fields of alfalfa, two years 
old, were disked. 

" One field was disked March 28th, the first cutting 
for hay made May 31st, disked June 6th, the second 
cutting for hay made June 25th, disked June 27th, the 



90 ALFALFA 

third cutting of alfalfa made August 1 3tli, and the alfalfa 
disked for the fourth time August 20th. The last cut- 
ting of alfalfa was made September 13th. This shows 
four diskings and four cuttings of alfalfa on upland in 
a dry year. 

"Another field of alfalfa was disked and cross- 
disked March 27th. The first cutting of hay was 
made June 4th, and the second disking June 6th. 
Through July and the early part of August the alfalfa 
was cut from day to day and fed green to dairy cows 
to help out dried-up pastures. August 20th the field 
was disked, and October 3d the last cutting of alfalfa 
made. 

' ' The alfalfa in both fields made fine late fall 
growth and went into the winter in good condition. 

" The stand of alfalfa on both fields disked in 1900 
was good. A harrow with sharp sixteen-inch disks 
was used, the disks being set at a slight angle, just 
sufficient to turn the soil over, and the harrow was 
weighted to make the disks split the alfalfa crowns to 
a depth or two inches. The disking split the alfalfa 
crowns, and this made them throw out many new 
shoots. The disking made an earth-mulch over the 
field and prevented the evaporation of water, so rapid 
in a dry time from an alfalfa field just after being 
cut. The disks were set so that they barely turned 
the soil over, and, running at a depth of two inches, 
they turned the roots of the crab-grass and weeds up 
to the sun, which killed them. These disked fields 
were clean and free from crab-grass in the fall. 

** We have not disked one-year-old alfalfa. From 
these experiments we feel safe in recommending disking 
all alfalfa of two years or more standing. Make the 



DISKING AND HARROWING 9 1 

first disking early in the spring, and then disk immedi- 
ately after each cutting. If the stand of alfalfa is fair 
to good, set the disks as we did in the experiments 
made in 1 900. If the stand is poor and the growth of 
crab-grass thick, set the disks to cut deeply. Disking 
is of as much valu^ to alfalfa as cultivation is to corn. ' ' 



ENEMIES AND FRIENDS OF 
ALFALFA 

GOPHERS AND PRAIRIE-DOGS 

The commonest enemies of alfalfa in the Central 
West are animals and inse(5ls. The animals liable to 
ruin a good stand of alfalfa are gophers and prairie- 
dogs. The cheapest means of getting rid of them is 
poison. Take potatoes, peel, and soak them overnight 
in strong poisonous solutions such as strychnine, 
arsenic, or corrosive sublimate; drop these potatoes 
into the holes of burrowing animals. Cover over each 
hole so treated with a board or a chip, to keep the 
runway open, and put some earth on top of this. Corn 
soaked in a solution of lard and strychnine may be 
used in the same way. Carbon bisulphide has been 
used with success. It is rather dangerous to handle, 
as it evaporates very rapidly into an exceedingly poi- 
sonous and inflammable gas. If carbon bisulphide is 
used, keep it in a closed vessel as it is being applied. 
It can best be applied by soaking corn-cobs in the 
liquid and dropping these into the burrows. The 
corn-cobs should be quickly ' ' hooked ' ' out of the 
liquid with a wire and placed in the burrow, which 
should immediately be covered with earth, tamped 
tight, leaving the runways unobstrucfted. The gas 
suffocates the animals, and the user must be careful 
not to get the larger dose himself. Trapping has also 
been pracfticed. Where irrigation is available, the 
best way is to flood the land sufficiently to drown 
92 



GOPHKRS AND PRAIRIE-DOGS 93 

animals. Care must be taken to draw off the water 
before it has had time to injure the alfalfa plants. 

Prof. J. G. Haney gives the following excellent 
advice concerning gophers and alfalfa: 

'' No preventive has been found. Trapping may 
be employed against them, but it is tedious and gener- 
ally unsatisfa(5lory. Poisoning is perhaps the easiest 
and most satisfactory method of destroying gophers, 
and, if properly done, they may be almost entirely 
exterminated. To poison them, as soon as a fresh 
mound is seen, cut potatoes as they are usually cut 
for seed; then, with a pocket-knife or old case-knife, 
slit the pieces and drop a crystal of strychnine not 
larger than a wheat grain in the slit, so it will lodge 
near the middle of the potato. The potato being 
moist, the strychnine will soon be dissolved and carried 
all through it, and it should be used at once. Take a 
spade and a wagon-rod and proceed at once to the 
'gopher patch.' With the rod poke into the ground 
around the fresh hill until the run is located and open 
with the spade, drop in a potato, cover up, and pro- 
ceed to the next hill. Gophers are very fond of 
potatoes. One dose usually kills; if too much strych- 
nine is used, or the potatoes are not used as soon as 
prepared, the poison is not so effedlive. If the field is 
gone over once a week, the old hills leveled down, and 
the new ones given a potato, the gopher's work will 
soon be very much lessened. Now and then one will 
be too smart for the potato and will keep at work. 
Try to trap him." 

In Bulletin No. 5, Division of Ornithology and 
Mammalogy, United States Department of Agriculture, 
is given the following recipe, which reputable persons 



94 AI.FAI.FA 

who have followed its dire(5lions claim is thoroughly 
eff edlive : 

* * Put a stick of phosphorus in a five-gallon can 
with a little cold water; next, pour in hot water, not 
quite boiling, until the can is half full, and stir with a 
stick. When the phosphorus is melted, add, while 
the water is stirred constantly, two pounds of sugar, 
and immediately after the ' sugar is dissolved thicken 
to a stiff batter with corn-meal and flour — half and 
half; now add wheat, and stir until stiff. While 
adding the wheat add also fifteen to twenty drops of 
oil of rhodium. The wheat will soak up all the water 
in the mass, and it will become quite hard. Keep in 
a cool place. Small pieces may be chipped off as 
needed. Gophers may get too little strychnine to kill 
them, but no matter how small a piece of phosphorous 
they get it will finally prove fatal. Dig down to an 
open hole, drop in a small piece, put in a clod to keep 
the hole from filling, and cover over with loose dirt, to 
exclude the light. ' ' 

It is said that using one-fifth the quantity of each 
ingredient mentioned in this recipe will give as much 
of the mixture as is likely to be needed at any one 
time, and the smaller quantity lessens the chances of 
poisoning animals other than goph-ers. Phosphorous 
is one of the deadliest of poisons. 

GRASSHOPPERS 

The inse<5ls that have been most injurious to alfalfa 
are the various species of grasshoppers. When abun- 
dant, they are liable to destroy fall-sown alfalfa. In 
western Kansas they sometimes destroy the crop intend- 
ed for seed. Professor Hunter, of Kansas, has shown 



DODDKR 95 

that the most effedlive defense against grasshoppers is 
the disk-harrow. If the alfalfa fields are disked in the 
late fall or the early spring the grasshopper eggs 
are destroyed by being disturbed and exposed to the 
elements and birds. The disking for this particular 
purpose should be done when the alfalfa plants are 
dormant. The grasshoppers that do the greatest harm 
are not migratory, but breed and pass their existence 
chiefly in the local alfalfa field. Army- worms have 
been destrudlive in a few localities. These and other 
insec5l pests which pupate in the ground late in autumn, 
according to Professor Hunter, are also destroyed by 
disking. 

Poultry in large numbers on the farm are of great 
service in keeping down the increase of noxious insedls. 
Some farmers have done well by keeping turkeys to 
free their alfalfa fields from grasshoppers. Turkeys 
are raised and sometimes rented to farmers to be herded 
in the alfalfa fields when the 'hoppers are bad, and 
are found very efiicient. 

DODDKR 

The worst parasitic enemy of alfalfa is the dodder 
or love vine (Fig. 15). Prof. F. H. Hillman's de- 
scription of the weed is: "The plant is a parasite, 
incapable of producing its own food, and thus depends 
for maintenance upon the food elaborated by some 
other plant. This particular species of dodder, 
Cuscuta epithymum, confines its preference in the 
main, if not wholly, to the alfalfa plant, which 
it infests throughout America and Europe. State- 
ments of this species infesting clovers have been 
seen by the writer, but his own observations in 



96 



AI,FAI.FA 



badly infested fields of mixed alfalfa and red clover 
have failed to show the infestation of clover by 
this species of dodder. This particular dodder pro- 
duces a mass of smooth, reddish-yellow, wiry stems, 
which encircle the alfalfa stems, where the latter are 




a B 

FIG. 15 — DODDER U) PLANT AND (B) FLOWER 



pierced by small suckers from the stems of the dodder. 
These serve to draw the nourishment from the alfalfa, 
resulting in a short, sickly growth. The alfalfa usu- 
ally survives, but produces only half a crop or less. 
With the advance of summer, globular clusters of 
flowers the size of a pea, light-colored and tinged with 
purple, are produced along the leafless stems of the 
dodder. Each flower develops from one to four seeds, 



DODDKR 



97 



and, as many flowers are produced, the seed produc- 
tion is enormous. 

''The seeds are minute, light colored, often tinged 
with green or purple, globular or irregularly rounded, 
the surface very finely roughened (Fig. i6). Their 
form and appearance should permit their easy detedlion 
among alfalfa seeds, which are larger (Fig. 17). 

* ' The development of the plant is peculiar. The 
seeds germinate in the ground, the young stems swing- 




FIG. 16 — DODDER SEEDS 

A, showing a group of seeds, their 
comparative form and relative 
size, enlarged. B, a group show- 
ing the natural size. C, the em- 
bryo removed from the seed, 
showing the form it commonly 
assumes. D, a section of a seed, 
showing the manner in which 
the embryo lies imbedded in the 
endosperm. 




FIG. 17 — ALFALFA SEEDS 

A, a group showing the side view. 
B, the edge view, with scar. C, 
a group of natural size. D, the 
embryo. 



ing from side to side until a stem of the alfalfa is 
found, about which they at once twine; the roots then 
die. If no such stem is found the young dodder plant 
perishes, owing to its inability to take nourishment 
from soil-food. The plant is an annual, starting anew 
from the seed each year." 

Fig. 18 shows a group of red clover seeds. A, side 
view. B, edge view, presenting the scar. C, seeds of 
natural size. Fig. 19 shows white clover seeds. A, 
showing the side-view forms. B, edge view, with scatr 



98 



AI.FALFA 



C, a group of natural size. D, the embryo. These 
illustrations were prepared with reference to showing 
the likeness of some of these seeds to those of dodder. 
When a field is once thoroughly seeded to dodder, 
the only remedy is to plow up the alfalfa and cultivate 
the land a few years to other crops. There are 
numerous other species of dodder besides the one 
referred to, but few of them attack alfalfa. If a small 
patch is discovered, scatter dry straw or hay over the 





FIG. l8 — RED CLOVER SEEDS 



FIG. 19 — WHITE CLOVER SEEDS 



patch and burn off. The straw scattered thinly destroys 
the dodder, but will not injure the alfalfa. Burn in a 
wind, and there is less danger of destroying the alfalfa. 

BACTERIA 

The alfalfa plant has one parasitic friend that is of 
the greatest importance to agriculture — namely, the 
species of bacteria which inhabits the tubercles on the 
roots of the plants. These microscopic organisms 
dwell in harmony or symbiosis upon the roots. The 
badleria take nitrogen from the air and feed the alfalfa 
plant, which, in its turn, sends some elaborated food 
down into the nodules for the maintenance of the bac- 
teria. The a(5livities of the millions of ba(5leria, which 
live in symbiosis with every healthy alfalfa plant, 
enable the alfalfa to add marvelous stores of nitrogen 



A GOOD AI^FAI^FA SHKD 99 

to the soil at the same time that large quantities are 
being removed in the hay crops . These ba(5leria cannot 
do good work unless the soil is porous and well 
aerated. The judicious farmer in preparing his soil 
for alfalfa will provide an open, porous subsoil, in 
order that the badleria may have access to large quan- 
tities of air from which to draw that most important 
element of plant-food, nitrogen. 

AI,FAI,FA-ROOT ROT 

This is a fungus disease which attacks the alfalfa, 
and from a bulletin of the Texas Experiment Station 
it appears the same as the cotton-root rot. It is not 
widely spread and little injury is reported from it. 
The fungus succumbs to any treatment that destroys 
ordinary plants, such as salt or kerosene; but the appli- 
cation of these over any extended area would not be 
pra(5licable. Rotation is pradliced in cotton regions to 
avoid this, and is the only alternative with alfalfa. 



A GOOD ALFALFA SHED 

' ' We do not believe a stack was ever built in the 
United States that did not waste from twelve to twenty 
per cent, of the hay, and in many cases from twenty- 
five to thirty," says the editor of the Iowa Homestead. 
''While all this loss is not avoided by sheds, for noth- 
ing short of a barn will prevent some exposure, the 
greater per cent, of the loss will be avoided by the 
construdlion of sheds. We have found 26 x 40 and 
sixteen feet high to be a very convenient size. We 
have used 6x6 and 8 x 8 for the posts, and prefer the 



lOO AI^FALFA 

former size. Thirteen feet is sufficient width apart for 
the posts, and, for a shed of the size mentioned but 
ten posts will be required. Where pine i^ used, it is 
better to get the posts sixteen feet long and bolt them 
to oak posts set in the ground three or four feet, so 
that the oak posts, when rotted, can be replaced with 
new without damage to the shed. These posts can be 
tied together by four cross- timbers, but the one at the 
end which the hay goes in should be at least two feet 
below the top of the posts, so as to allow the horse- 
fork full of hay full swing in passing in. 

' ' Sixteen-foot boards will roof each side of this 
shed. They can be battened if necessary, but if the 
lumber be reasonably dry it will not shrink enough to 
cause any considerable leaking. It is astonishing how 
little water flows into these sheds when the roofs are 
unbattened. We prefer, however, to batten. The 
horse-fork can be used, the track being suspended 
from the roof, as in a barn, and the inconvenience of 
the two inside cross-pieces in a barn of the above size 
can be avoided by putting the hay in in sections, and 
taking care not to let quantities of it lie across the cross- 
pieces. A shed of this kind can be braced without cross- 
pieces, but not without more or less waste of space. 

* ' Additional expense can be added to this shed 
profitably. For example, feeding-sheds can be at- 
tached on three sides, preferably the north, west, and 
south. These should be sixteen feet wide, eight feet 
high at the rear, and with a good slope to the roof, 
and in this case the main shed should be boarded down 
to the roof of the feeding-shed. A strucfture of this 
kind, with sheds around it, will give 2,200 square feet 
of shed-room, or the floor space of a barn 40 x 55 feet. 



A GOOD AI,FAI,FA SHKD lOl 

l^his can be divided into different sedlions, and the 
stock fed direcftly out of the mow into the mangers, 
thus housing a large number of animals in one place 
with all the hay under one roof. A crib for corn or 
a bin for oats can be easily constru6led in this shed, so 
as to have the feed all together. - One of the advan- 
tages of this shed is the prote6lion it affords against 
the winter blast, and still another, the fa(5l that if 
abundance of straw is hauled in for bedding the ma- 
nure can be kept through the winter, and through the 
summer if need be, under cover without loss. It is 
very easy, if a farmer wishes to invest still more money, 
to make a barn on this general idea, having a large 
bay in the center, and cattle-stalls and sheds all around 
it. In fa(5l, with the exception of the octagonal barn, 
this plan will give more accommodation than any other 
plan of barn with which we are acquainted." 

If hay is well cured before it is put in the mow 
there is not much need of making special provisions for 
ventilators. But if the hay season is a rainy one, the 
grass is often taken from the field before it is thorough- 
ly cured. This, when it is put into large barns, is apt 
to heat and be much injured. In order to prevent 
this, ventilators can be construdled in different ways. 

An upright ventilator made of four twelve-inch 
boards set in the middle of the mow floor is good, but 
in using a hay-fork this is often in the way and in- 
convenient. These twelve-inch square boxes can be 
utilized in another way. Make several the length of 
the mow in which they are placed, and in each bore a 
number of two-inch auger-holes. Fill in hay to the 
depth of six or eight feet, then put in another ven- 
tilator, and so on. 



ALFALFA IN THE DIFFERENT 
STATES 

It is the writer's convi(5lion that no author, how- 
ever well informed, can possess but a f ration of the 
knowledge upon a subjecft widely variant under vary- 
ing conditions, possessed by the many whose observa- 
tions have been in the different sedlions and under the 
particular conditions which there obtain. With this 
in mind, and with a desire to be as definite as possible 
with reference to the success or failure, and growth of 
alfalfa in the various parts of the United States, effort 
has been made to secure for this volume from those 
officially or especially observant of such matters, either 
directors of experiment stations or extensive pradlical 
growers, concise statements of what experience in 
their states in alfalfa culture has shown or suggested. 
In the following pages are found presented in sub- 
stance the observations made by each as to the pro- 
duc5lion, probabilities, and prospedls of alfalfa in the 
regions named: 

ARIZONA 

Prof. R. H. Forbes, dire(5lor of the experiment 
station at Tucson, in reply to the question, " Is alfalfa 
a success in your territory ? ' ' says: "Yes, it does well 
upon all soils not too alkaline;" but as he speaks 
from an irrigator's experience there is not a great 
deal of importance attached to the preparation of the 
seed-bed. ** Seeding is done in the spring in the 
northern part of the territory. Cutting is done at full 
bloom seven or eight times a year if irrigated, giving 



ALFAI^FA in I'HK DIFI^KRHNl" STATERS I03 

a yield of one to one and one-fourth tons per acre per 
cutting, of dry hay, which is preserved in stacks. 
After being well started it is very enduring and can be 
successfully pastured. It is not affe(5led by the climatic 
changes usual elsewhere and grows continuously except 
during December and January, the weather being too 
cool at this time. Root-rot causes some, but not 
serious, loss." 

ARKANSAS 

Prof. R. ly. Bennett, diredlor of the experiment 
station at Fayetteville, says alfalfa has been sufficiently 
tried to prove that it will succeed under proper condi- 
tions. ' ' The many failures are due to unsuitable soil 
and improper preparation. With a reasonably fertile, 
well-drained surface and subsoil, and a well-prepared 
seed-bed on soil that has grown a crop of cow-peas the 
season previous, there is a reasonable chance for success. 
If the soil is extra fertile, sow broadcast; if not so fertile, 
plant in eighteen-inch rows with drills, in early fall; 
use twenty pounds of seed per acre in drills and more 
when broadcasted. If the land is inclined to be foul, 
cultivate to encourage alfalfa, and discourage weeds and 
grass when planted in drills. Cut when in good bloom. 
The number of cuttings and yield depend upon the 
fertility. The method of curing is the same as with 
red clover and cow-peas. If rains prevail at the time 
of cutting, the hay is stored in open frames to cure. 
Once established on good soil and properly cared for it 
is permanent, but it has not been thoroughly tested in 
this state as to its endurance for grazing. Alfalfa 
resists drouth and is but little affedled by extreme wet 
weather, provided, of course, the subsoil drains rapidly. 



I04 ALI^ALFA 

It resists moderate cold, but is frequently killed down 
by sudden changes from warm to very cold weather. 
Insedls, animals, and plant depredators have not been 
of sufficient importance to receive attention. The 
bottom-lands are much preferable to the uplands for 
alfalfa, because of the greater fertility of their subsoil 
and greater water content." 

CALIFORNIA 

Henry Miller, writing of the alfalfa-raising opera- 
tions of his firm — Miller & I^ux — in San Mateo County, 
says in part: 

''Since 1871 we have gradually increased our acre- 
age of alfalfa, until we now have about 20,000 acres. 
This is on reclaimed swamp and upland, under a com- 
plete system of irrigation, with the exception of a 
little light, loamy soil, with water near the surface 
and no irrigation. On the latter ground the plant is 
short-lived, on account of the gophers. The depth at 
which well-water is found varies from ten to forty 
feet, and, with irrigation, it is immaterial whether the 
soil is naturally moist or dry. The preparation for 
seeding consists of deep plowing and cross-plowing, and 
the depth of planting is not over two or three inches. 
For light, loamy soils, twelve pounds of seed to the 
acre is ample, while for hard, rough, new land, from 
sixteen to twenty pounds is required. Seeding may 
be done here after the cold season and when danger 
of heavy frost is past, but in time to take advantage of 
the spring rains, which are very essential. During 
the first season the weeds should be mowed as they 
require it, v/ithout regard to returns of alfalfa, and 
after they are subdued it is well to let the first 3^ear's 



IN "run Dii^i^^RKNi' si'A'TKS 105 

growth go to seed and allow it to be trampled into the 
soil by young stock; but if there is a full stand this is 
not necessary. We irrigate from streams, applying 
water as soon as the spring opens and every time a 
crop is cut, the quantity of water needed depending 
on the quality of the soil. Drainage is very necessary, 
especially when irrigation is done in warm weather. 
After the first irrigation, less water is needed at an 
application than at first. Winter-killing seems to be 
effedlually prevented by watering in the fall. 

''Alfalfa will attain its best state in three or four 
years, and its condition after that will depend upon 
its treatment. We put stock on our land generally 
after the first and second growth is cut, and the only 
rest the land receives is when it is being irrigated. 
I^and in alfalfa for several years we harrow in the 
spring with a heavy harrow or disk-cutter, and take 
the opportunity to reseed that which shows lack 
of vigor. The more sun and the less shade there is 
the better the growth and the more satisfa<5lory the 
yield. We find it more difficult to get a stand than to 
get rid of it; but, in some instances, where we have 
wanted the land for orchard, vegetables, or root crops, 
we found several plowings would destroy it. Without 
irrigation we have not found the crop very profitable, 
but there are a few favored spots in the state where it 
can be grown without water; but w^hen we plant we 
usually seledl such land as can be put under a perfedl 
system of irrigation before using. 

' ' lyongevity of the plant depends on treatment and 
on the nature of the soil. On heavy ' adobe ' soil it 
will not live and thrive as long as on loamy soil, and 
on sandy, light soil it will be of short duration with- 



Io6 ALFAI^FA 

out constant and judicious irrigation. After the first 
season we make two cuttings a year, and consider two 
tons to the acre each time a good yield. For hay we 
cut when the first crop is well advanced — say, nearly 
in full bloom; the second crop and any later ones are 
cut when the bloom first shows; otherwise the lower 
leaves will drop off. The first crop is generally pref- 
erable for seed, provided butterflies and other insedls 
have not injured the bloom, as they often do. If the 
second crop is used for seed, it should ripen longer 
than the first. The crop for seed is mowed, windrowed 
as soon as possible, allowed to dry in that state, gath- 
ered with a hand-fork, loaded on hay-wagons, and put 
in stack as gently as possible. We find a good crop 
of seed a rare thing, but use the ordinary thrashing 
outfit, and turn out 800 to 1,000 pounds a day; in rare 
instances double that quantity, with a cost for thrash- 
ing and cleaning of about five cents a pound. The 
hay we never put in barns, but stack in small, narrow 
ricks, to avoid danger of heating, endeavoring to get 
it in the ricks as dry as possible, gathering in the fore- 
noon. When we use our own press and men the 
cost of baling does not exceed $1 per ton. The 
weight of the bale depends on the kind of press used. 
An average handy bale weighs about 150 to 175 
pounds, and we never have any trouble about the hay 
keeping perfectly in bales of that size. lyike all rank 
growths, alfalfa will produce double under irrigation, 
and the quantity will greatly overbalance any possible 
improvement in quality without irrigation, for I have 
found little difference in quality between that grown 
by irrigation and under natural moisture." 



IN THK DIFFERENT STATES 107 

COI.ORADO 

Following is the statement of Jacob Downing, of 
Denver: 

'*I introduced alfalfa into Colorado in 1862, and 
have between 500 and 700 acres. It is on upland, 
clay, sandy, and loam soil, with some ' adobe ' sub- 
soil, but mostly sandy loam; it is generally dry to 
sand rock, and then it is necessary to drill fifty to 
one hundred feet to get w^ater. After deep plowing 
and thorough pulverizing, the land should be scraped 
thoroughly smooth, as this cannot be done after sow- 
ing, and is needed to make the mower work smoothly. 
I sow about twenty-five pounds to the acre, drilling 
about two inches deep, twelve and one- half pounds each 
way. Prefer to sow in the spring, early. After the 
plant is eight inches high it may be cut and used for 
feed, but is not very good. I have seen near the City 
of Mexico fields of alfalfa 300 years old that had 
been constantly cropped and never reseeded. It will 
last 1,000 years, and possibly forever. I irrigate from 
streams, whenever desirable; when there is a great 
deal of heat and wind, probably three times in a season. 
The water must not be on too long, or the plant will be 
killed, and the land should be kept as dry as poSvSible 
during the winter, particularly in cold climates, as on 
wet soil alfalfa winter-kills. Well-water is better than 
the stream, provided it is pumped into a reservoir and 
allowed to get warm. Water is brought from the 
streams by ditches. I^ess water will serve the first 
year than after the plant is matured. I am five miles 
west of Denver, and 500 feet above the city, in warm 
valleys. With plenty of water I can obtain three 



lo8 AI.^A1.FA 

cuttings a year. Have raised as much as three and 
one-half tons to the acre at one cutting, and my highest 
yield of seed per acre has been nine bUvShels. Hay is 
cut when the plant is in bloom and cured until dr}^ to 
the touch of the hand. Stacking by hand makes the 
best hay, as machinery is likely to pack it in bundles, 
causing it to heat and become dusty. Hay in the 
stack costs about $i . 50 per ton. Baling costs $2.00 per 
ton; one-hundred-pound bales are well esteemed, but 
it is probable that large bales keep better than small 
ones, if properly cured. Six bushels of seed is a com- 
mon yield, and the cost of thrashing and cleaning is 
probably twenty-five cents per bushel. For feeding 
horses for slow work, the hay is better than clover or 
timothy. For fattening purposes it is the best in the 
world, for, while the animal lays on fat, it is never 
feverish and always health3^ There is no difiiculty in 
ridding land of the plant, as a good team and sharp 
plow will cut it out without any trouble. I have 
plowed fields of alfalfa under and put in oats, obtain- 
ing three or four times the usual yield, and have known 
of fifty bushels of wheat produced to the acre on 
broken alfalfa sod." 

DEI.AWARE 

Mr. Herman S. Hazal, of Smyrna, says: " Alfalfa 
has been given sufficient trial in Delaware by a num- 
ber of land-owners to prove that it can be grown, and 
is profitable for hay. I have two acres seeded, thirty 
pounds to the acre, in the spring of 1898, and cut four 
times in 1899 — May 29, July 12, August 16, Septem- 
ber 30 — with a total yield of thirteen tons of hay after 
three days' curing. The first cutting gave six and a 



IN THK DIFFERENT STATES IO9 

half tons of hay. I have cut it twice already this 
season (1900), June 5 getting 11,000 pounds, and 
July 9 getting 6,680 pounds, making a total of eight 
tons and i , 680 pounds. My ground is partly a side-hill 
of ordinary land, and I do not think it would grow 
more than forty bushels of corn to the acre. The 
alfalfa seems to be very permanent; its greatest plant 
enemies are sorrel and white clover; no insedl enemies 
have been observed. I am of the opinion that it 
would be injurious to pasture it in this climate. I cut 
it when about half in bloom, and value it very highly 
for all kinds of stock. It sells for $g per ton. Mr. 
John P. Hudson, of this town, has been mowing his 
field for the past fourteen years, and Mr. Wilbur 
Burmite, of Felton, has been mowing a field for 
twenty years, and there are many others growing it 
with success." 

GEORGIA 

R. J. Redding, direcftor of the experiment station, 
writes: "Alfalfa is a success in this state, and does 
best on well-drained, deep, rich, sandy loam, clean of 
weeds. The land should be deeply plowed and well 
fined before seeding, and it is best to sow in drills 
twenty to thirty inches apart, covering the seeds a half 
inch deep. Sowing is done in September or Odlober, 
or in February or March, and ten pounds of seed per 
acre is used. The alfalfa is cultivated shallow three 
or four times during the season to keep weeds down. 
It is cut for feed when the blooms commence to appear, 
and may be mown three to six times a year, yielding 
three to five tons of green forage per acre at each cut- 
ting, varying with the season. The crop is used to 



I lO ALFALFA 

soil-feed horses, mules, and cattle, but is rarely made 
into hay. Alfalfa is permanent after being well 
started, but is liable to become infested with weeds 
unless carefully cultivated ; hence sowing in drills is 
preferred, permitting of the use of a cultivator and 
hoe. It does not stand pasturing well, for it is under- 
stood that the crowns are liable to severe injury from 
close grazing and tramping. The crop endures drouth 
well, but growth is much retarded by it. It is not 
affe(?ted injuriously by wet weather or cold, but is 
killed down by severe freezes when the foliage is of 
recent growth and tender. It is attacked by dodder 
and many insects, although none peculiar to the plant, 
and the injury from these is not serious. It is supe- 
rior to any of the clovers and equal to vetches, and is 
considered the best soiling-plant. It is true, however, 
that perhaps the majority of farmers in Georgia are 
not even aware that alfalfa is identical with lucerne, 
and very many of them would not recognize the plant 
at sight. It furnishes an illustration of the prompt- 
ness with which Northern and Western farmers take 
advantage of a ' good thing, ' while Southern farmers 
have been content to grow cotton and corn, potatoes 
and sugar-cane, and pay very little attention to such 
valuable plants as lucerne." 

IDAHO 

William Howard, of Blackfoot, Bingham County, 
writes: "The two hundred acres of land on which I 
have grown alfalfa for six years is upland, with sandy 
loam soil, and subsoil the same, with water at a depth 
of forty feet, the ground being dry all the way down 
in summer aud fall. The land to be seeded is first 



IN THK DIFFE^RKNT STATES III 

inclosed with levees, the size of each piece to be gov- 
erned by the ' fall ' to the land. Seed may be sown 
here in the spring or summer, fifteen to twenty pounds 
to the acre, broadcast, and harrowed in with a light 
harrow. We have no weeds here, and, in case of 
early seeding, there will be 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of 
hay, but no seed, the first year. We irrigate altogether 
from ditches, applying water three or four times a year; 
first, as soon as the ground becomes dry in the spring; 
.second, just before cutting the first crop; third, just 
before cutting the second crop, and sometimes after we 
cut the third crop. Less water is needed after the first 
year. The plant does not winter-kill here, and is at its 
best by the second year, continuing vigorous for at 
least fifteen years. 

* ' The most essential thing for alfalfa is plenty of 
water, and, having that, a gravel foundation is far 
better than one of clay for obtaining large results. 
There are sometimes two cuttings in a year, and some- 
times three, depending on the season, with an average 
yield each time of two or three tons. Hay is cut when 
it is in bloom, raked as soon as wilted, and allowed to 
cure in the cock, then stacked in large stacks with 
horse-forks. The first crop is best for seed, as it takes 
nearly a whole season to mature good seed; this is cut 
and stacked as the hay is, and then thrashed from the 
stack. The cost of the hay in the stack is $1 .00 a ton; 
of baling, $2.50 a ton; and of thrashing and cleaning, 
ten bushels out of every one hundred. The price of 
hay has ranged from $15.00 a ton down to $3.00, with 
an average for six years of about $6.00, while the price 
of seed has averaged about $5.00 a bushel. The pre- 
ferred bale weighs from 100 to 150 pounds. The 



1 1 2 AI^FALFA 

average yield of seed is about 500 pounds to the 
acre. Alfalfa will pasture more animals than will red 
clover. Every year we pasture about one hundred 
head of hogs on three acres, fenced in two lots." 

ILLINOIS 

A. D. Shamel, assistant at the experiment station, 
Urbana, says: " On the experiment station trial- 
grounds alfalfa has been tested for the past four years. 
Last winter all the plants that remained from the 
previous year's stand were killed by freezing and thaw- 
ing in February. In other cases where trials of from 
one-half to five acres were made in different sedlions 
of the state, no good stands have been secured. In 
some cases after three years' growth with constant re- 
seeding a fair stand was obtained, but during the late 
severe winters all of these fields have been injured, and 
in most instances the alfalfa has been killed. Further 
trial with the lately introduced varieties will be neces- 
sary before a definite statement can be made as to its 
success or failure. The chief cause of failure seems to 
be the nature of the subsoil. In most instances our 
rich prairie loam is underlaid with a hard clay sub- 
soil, and in some cases the so-called hard-pan. Alfalfa 
roots refuse to penetrate this stratum of soil, and con- 
sequently the plant does not obtain a full root develop- 
ment, so that during the winter a temperature of a 
few degrees below zero kills the plant. Another 
fadlor entering into its introduction is that it requires 
at least two, and usually three, years to get a stand 
from which a crop can be cut. The farmer loses three 
years' cropping from the land, which he cannot afford. 
The medium red clover can be seeded with oats and 



IN THE) DIFFKRENT STATKS II3 

produce a heavy crop the next year. It is also a 
leguminous crop as well as is alfalfa; its soil-fertilizing 
ability seems as great, and it fills largely the same 
place as alfalfa for feeding purposes. So, having other 
leguminous plants naturally adapted to the soil and 
climate, the Illinois farmer does not attempt to grow 
alfalfa. Not only is this true, but alfalfa takes a 
longer time than clover to cure, and it is almost im- 
possible to get a long enough dry season at harvesting 
to cure and properly save the alfalfa hay. ' ' 

IOWA 

Prof. C. F. Curtiss, of the Iowa station, at Ames, 
says: " I do not think alfalfa has been given sufficient 
trial in this state to fully demonstrate its merits or to 
determine whether it is a success or failure. We have 
been growing it in a small way upon the college farm, 
and it has completely winter-killed twice during the 
last ten years; but the seasons when it winter-killed 
were unusually severe, and almost equally fatal to red 
clover and winter wheat. I do not feel that these 
failures ought to condemn the alfalfa by any means, 
and am inclined to think it might be grown here as 
successfully as in some other localities where it is much 
more largely used. There is a strongly established 
disposition, however, in our state to rely on the other 
clovers, chiefly from the fadl that farmers are more 
familiar with methods of growing them, and the seed- 
ing of the land to clover is a simpler process than is 
securing a stand of alfalfa. We expedt to make 
further investigations. ' ' 



114 ALFAI^FA 



INDIANA 



Prof. W. C. Latta, of the experiment station, 
I^afayette, says that alfalfa has as yet been tried only 
in a small way in Indiana; not sufficiently to determine 
whether it will prove a success or failure. It has 
grown well in some cases, but as a rule it has not done 
well, owing to the compadl nature of the subsoil. ' * In 
places where it has succeeded I think it may be 
attributed largely to the location and charadler of the 
soil that permits the roots to penetrate freely into the 
deeper subsoil, containing plenty of underlying mois- 
ture. Experience leads us to think that the preparation 
of the seed-bed is also very important, as the young 
plants are rather feeble the first year and liable to be 
choked out by the stronger growths. We have usually 
sown broadcast, in the spring, fifteen to twenty pounds 
to the acre. We clip at intervals during the first year, 
the purpose being to hold the stronger growths in 
check and thus give the alfalfa a better chance. In a 
few instances we have cut for hay the second time in a 
season, but in the majority of cases our soil becomes 
too dry too push up a second crop worth cutting. Our 
plots have been almost too small to give reliable data 
as to yield; it has been rather light, however, seldom 
exceeding one and one-half tons per acre. With our 
small yields the curing in the ordinary way, by 
means of the hay-tedder, has not been at all difficult. 
We have found alfalfa quite permanent when well 
started. It comes to its best in about three j^ears, and 
has maintained itself in the sward much longer. On 
our naturally drained, shallow soil it suffers the most 
from dry, hot weather. I do not think alfalfa is 



IN THK DIFFE^RENT STATEJS 115 

damaged by our winters. The only enemy we have 
observed is dodder, of which we usually get a little 
in with the alfalfa seed. 

'*We place a high value upon alfalfa as a feed. 
One of our highly successful farmers last spring sowed 
a strip of alfalfa in low-lying peat land. I saw the 
plants about a month after the seed was sown, and 
was surprised to note that they were from four to six 
inches high. I am interested to know if alfalfa will do 
well in such low-lying soils. Another manager of a 
large farm proposes to try alfalfa somewhat extensively 
upon his level low-lying land in northwestern Indiana. 
Much of it is a peat formation, and the water has not 
yet been drained down to a very great depth below. I 
think that alfalfa is suited only to limited areas in 
Indiana— namely, such soils as are open, have plenty of 
moisture in the lower soil, and may be left for a 
number of years for haying and grazing. It has no 
place in our short rotations, as it is too slow in coming 
to its prime. " , 

KANSAS 

The following is furnished by Prof. H. M. Cottrell, 
of the State Agricultural College: 

Alfalfa is grown in every county in the state, and 
at least ninety per cent, of our arable land is suitable 
for its profitable produAion. There are only two con- 
ditions under which it will not grow: where rock is 
found within four or five feet of the surface and the 
soil is dry down to the rock, or where the soil is not 
drained and is wet a considerable part of the year. In 
a few of the valleys alfalfa cannot be grown success- 
fully because, while all other conditions are favorable, 



Il6 AIvFAl^FA 

the streams overflow and the fields are sometimes 
covered with water for three or four days in the spring. 
Such an overflowing usually causes immediate death 
to the alfalfa. These unfavorable conditions are found 
on so small an area of land in this state that they are 
hardly worth considering, but in individual cases are 
quite serious. 

' ' Good corn ground is good ground for alfalfa. A 
general rule may be given that it may be grown profit- 
ably on any land on which cottonwood trees and corn 
successfully grow to maturity. It requires a v/ell- 
drained, thoroughly pulverized soil free from weeds, 
and the soil should be in good condition with regard 
to moisture at the time of seeding. Seeding may be 
done successfully at any time in Kansas between April 
ist and September 15th, when these conditions are 
found. Much of the land in eastern Kansas has been 
tilled for many 3- ears and is weedy. The best suc- 
cess on this usually comes by previously raising a 
corn crop on the land and keeping it thoroughly 
cultivated and free from weeds. The following 
spring an early maturing crop should be planted, such 
as oats or millet. Harvest this early, immediately 
plow the ground, and harrow each day the land that 
has been plowed that day. Then harrow or cultivate 
the entire field once in ten days until the first soaking 
rain comes, between August ist and September 15th. 
Then seed to alfalfa. Mature alfalfa gets its nitrogen 
from the air, and is one of our most hardy plants in 
securing nitrogen. The infant alfalfa plant is one of 
the weakest grown and is especially feeble in securing 
nitrogen, and without a liberal suppl}^ of this cannot 
live. The frequent summer tillage advised for pre- 



IN the; different states 117 

paring the ground kills the weeds and makes available 
the large supply of nitrogen in just the condition de- 
sired by the young alfalfa plant. In western Kansas 
the land has not been cultivated long and weeds are 
not so persistent, but often the moisture is deficient. 
Spring seeding succeeds best under these conditions, 
because there is then more moisture in the soil. 

'' We prefer to sow with a press- drill, mixing the 
seed with an equal part of either bran or coarse corn- 
chop (meal), drilling half the seed one way and cross- 
drilling with the other half. We sow twenty to thirty 
pounds per acre, according to the condition of the 
land. If seeded in the spring it should be mowed 
three or four times in the summer to keep the weeds 
in check, the mower being set high. If seeded in the 
fall no treatment is necessary, and the following sum- 
mer a good growth may be expedled. 

'* We cut when, say, one-tenth of the plants have 
come into blossom. Early cutting insures heavier 
succeeding crops, and the early cut hay has much 
more feeding value than that cut when in full bloom 
or later. Alfalfa may be cut three to four times per 
year in ordinary seasons. We cut and cure so as to 
preserve intact on the stems all the leaves possible, 
the method depending upon the weather. 

* * Alfalfa from one seeding can usually be expedled 
to endure ten years. In some cases it dies out in 
three or four years, and in other instances fields fifteen 
to twenty years old are yielding heavy crops. A rea- 
sonable amount of pasturing, such as ordinary grasses 
will stand, does no injury, but unfortunately in most 
cases it is excessively overpastured, and seriously 
injured if not killed. Sheep and horses injure it most. 



Il8 AI.FAI.FA 

' * Alfalfa is one of the best dry-weather resist- 
ers ; it stands heat and cold with indifference ; also 
heavy and continuous rains, if on well-drained soil, 
but in water-soaked land dies from freezing in winter 
and root-rot in summer. Grasshoppers, web worms, 
cutworms, gophers, and prairie-dogs are its chief ani- 
mal enemies. The first two are best destroyed by 
turkeys; a turkey to the acre will thoroughly rid the 
alfalfa of these pests, and the turkeys will be profitable 
besides. Disking in March before the alfalfa has 
sprouted destroys a large proportion of the grasshop- 
per eggs, and is a check to the cutworms and other 
insedls. Gophers may be destroyed cheaply and 
quickly by putting strychnine in pieces of freshly cut 
potatoes and dropping these in the gopher holes. The 
chief plant enemies are crab-grass and foxtail. Disk- 
ing early in March, and after each cutting, will do 
much to overcome these, and at the same time benefit 
the alfalfa. 

' ' A ton of alfalfa hay properly cured is worth a 
ton of wheat bran, and the alfalfa can be raised and 
put in the feed-lot on most Kansas farms at a cost not 
to exceed $3 per ton. It is necessary, under Kansas 
conditions, to the cheapest production of beef, pork, 
milk, mutton, and the growth of young stock. With 
a good supply of alfalfa any Kansas farmer can com- 
bine with it the ordinary feeds grown on his farm, and 
have balanced rations for all classes of stock without 
purchasing a pound of mill feed. With all its other 
good qualities alfalfa is one of the most palatable feeds 
offered farm animals, and with the exception of caus- 
ing bloat when used green, is one of the safest." 

W. M. Clark, of Saline County, in the central por- 



IN THE DIFFKRKNT STATES II9 

tion of the state, reports something of his operations 
thus: 

' ' We began sowing alfalfa eight years ago, and now 
have 265 acres, and intend to put in one hundred acres 
more next spring. The land is largely ' bottom ' and 
'second bottom,' and the sand}^ loam and 'gumbo' 
produce well if the plants get a good start. If, after 
seed is sown on the ' gumbo,' a rain falls, it is liable to 
form a crust that prevents the plants coming through. 
In digging our wells we find the ground moist, and the 
water supply in gravel or sand at a depth of sixteen to 
thirty feet. When the ground is thoroughly pulver- 
ized we sow thirty pounds to the acre, and harrow; 
though if the weather happens to be dry after sowing, 
better results are obtained by drilling it in as wheat is 
drilled. We have had the best results from seed sown 
between the middle of April and the first of May, but 
good stands have been secured after seeding the first of 
June, and even the last of August and first of Sep- 
tember. Much depends on the weather after sowing. 
During the first season we mow to keep the weeds 
down, and I have known seed sown the first of April 
to yield one and one-fourth tons of hay per acre on 
' bottom ' land, but we do not cut for seed the first 
year. For hay we cut when in bloom two or three 
times, with a yield of about two and one-half tons per 
acre the first time, one ton the second, and one and 
one-fourth the third, though on some bottom-land there 
is not more than one ton per acre for each cutting. 
The second crop is usually best for seed, though some- 
times the first crop is well filled. As soon as the pods 
are about half colored, the crop should be cut with a 
binder and dropped ofF in bunches, not bound. It 



I20 . AI^FAIvFA 

cures well in from one-half day to two days. The 
yield of seed is two to eight bushels, and the cost for 
thrashing and cleaning, with an alfalfa huller, is about 
$i.oo per bushel. The ordinary thrashing-machine 
will not take out all the seed nor clean it ready for 
market. Compared with timothy or clover, for stock 
purposes I consider alfalfa hay better, but for driving- 
horses timothy is preferable, since it is not so much of 
a laxative. As a pasture crop it is profitable and satis- 
facftory for horses and cattle, away ahead of clover for 
hogs, and better than red clover for cattle. I consider 
alfalfa grown without irrigation better than that irri- 
gated, as feed, since there is not so much water in it. 
That which is ripened and thrashed for seed does not 
make quite such good hay as does that cut earlier for 
hay alone, but stock will eat it and do well. In two or 
three years after seeding alfalfa attains its best yields, 
lyike any other feed-plant, it can be pastured down 
until killed. Alfalfa is undoubtedly the feed for this 
se(5lion of the country, while it is a most profitable 
crop for seed at such prices as we have been getting. ' ' 
A Jewell County alfalfa-grower tells how a seed 
or hay crop may be successfully harvested and saved, 
even if but a few inches high, thus: '' Take a piece of 
sheet-iron as long as a sickle-bar and about three feet 
wide; attach the front edge to the sickle-bar, and turn 
up the back edge slightly; then the man on the mower 
carries a rake and shoves off the hay in bunches, in 
which it is left until put upon the wagon. Alfalfa 
six inches high can be put up in this way at an expense 
of less than $1.50 per ton, and makes the very finest 
hog, cow, and poultry feed, a ton of it being equal to a 
a ton of bran. We suggested this plan to a friend who 



, IN THK DIFFKRKNT STATES 121 

had a patch of alfalfa heavily seeded but so short he 
could not save it. He tried our method, and thrashed 
sixteen bushels of seed from one load. Another great 
advantage in gathering a seed crop in this way is that 
the seed is not shelled and lost in the handling. ' ' 

LOUISIANA 

W. C. Stubbs, of the lyouisiana station, says: 
** Alfalfa has just now quite a boom, a result of ex- 
periments made at this station in the last eight or ten 
years. We estimate that there are at least 10,000 
acres of it now growing in lyouisiana. Upon the allu- 
vial lands it is a great success; upon the hill lands 
they are making it a success by artificial methods. 
The first essential is a rich soil, well drained and 
brought into a state of high preparation. We sow in 
Odlober fifteen to twenty pounds an acre, upon well- 
prepared pulverized soil. It is ready for the first 
harvest early in March, and upon the alluvial land we 
cut from five to eight crops a year. It is usually cut 
when the blooms appear all over the fields. Upon the 
hill lands we cut from three to six times. We have 
no trouble in getting the stand. It will last usually 
from four to six years without diminution, affording 
from twenty to thirty crops of excellent hay; after 
this it is thought better to plow up and replant than 
continue to harvest from a reduced stand. We have 
never pastured cattle, horses, or sheep upon alfalfa, but 
have used it very satisfadlorily with hogs. One of our 
large Red River planters reports having raised 3,000 
pounds of pork per acre of alfalfa. The weather, if 
very dry, of course affec5ls it; but with irrigation, which 
we can pradlice upon the alluvial lands, it is made to 



122 AI,FAI.FA 

grow throughout any period of drouth that we may 
have. It thrives rather better in the spring and fall or 
winter in this climate than in midsummer with its 
rains, which usually bring up a large quantity of crab- 
grass with it. During the winter we cut it generally 
twice, unless we have an unprecedented freeze. It 
grows throughout the entire winter, affording two cut- 
tings during the winter season. Last year we had sev- 
eral patches that were overrun temporarily with army- 
worms, but we soon disposed of them, and since that 
time they have caused no trouble. Of late a large 
number of cutworms have appeared in the fields in 
north Louisiana, and our entomologist, after examina- 
tion, reported that parasites had begun to attack the 
worms and that the field would soon be clear. His 
predidlion came true, and we have heard nothing 
about them since early spring. I see no reason why 
alfalfa cannot be pastured successfully, but we do not 
consider it economical to do this, since we can very 
quickly cut enough for a large stable for one day. Its 
value is so great that we are selling all the hay that 
we can make here at the station (and our neighbors 
are doing the same) at $15 per ton baled. In Shreve- 
port it is worth $\i to $12 per ton." 

MAINK 

Charles D. Woods, diredlor of the Maine station, 
says alfalfa is a failure in Maine, as it will not stand 
the severe winters. It was tried repeatedly fifteen to 
twenty years ago on all kinds of soil and under all 
conditions, and he presumes that it has been tried a 
great many times in late years, but, if so, without 
success. He says there is no difficulty in making it 



IN th:^ diffkrknt states 123 

grow the first season. The trouble is that it will not 
survive the winter. ' ' This is apparently not due to 
the severity of the winter, but to smothering with 
ice; as in irrigated secftions in cold climates a favorite 
method of destroying alfalfa when they wish to change 
to other crops is to flood in the fall and allow a coat- 
ing of ice to ^orm over the tradl. These conditions 
exist pradlically everywhere in New England. Each 
year early snows and heavy fall rains leave the ground 
saturated and more or less completely covered with 
wet snow. These storms almost invariably clear off 
cold, and the saturated snow freezes. It is the excep- 
tion when the fields are not more or less completely 
covered for several weeks with a layer of ice. Some- 
times it is severe enough to cause grass to winter-kill. ' ' 
As examples of attempts to grow alfalfa in his 
state, he cites two different conditions: one on a fairly 
heavy loam and the other on a light sandy soil. In 
both cases there was no difficulty in making the plants 
grow fairly well during the first summer, leaving a 
good covering on the ground for winter protecflion. 
On both the heavy and light soil the plants failed to 
survive the winter with the exception of here and 
there a single plant. 

MARYI^AND 

Dire(5lor H. J. Patterson, of the Maryland station, 
writes: " Alfalfa has not been given a very extensive 
trial in this state, yet it has been grown to a sufficient 
extent to prove that it can be grown where proper 
precautions are taken to obtain a stand. The greatest 
difficulty our people encounter in growing alfalfa is to 
get it established. Weeds are very numerous and 



124 AI.FAI.FA 

persistent in our state, and it is necessary to give 
several j^ears' preparation to the land before seeding, 
or else to keep the alfalfa weeded for about the first 
half of the growing season, or until it gets a fair start. 
Doing this is expensive. 

' ' It has been started with partial success by seed- 
ing with some other crop, such as oats, and cutting 
about the time the oats headed out, so as not to allow 
the oats to take the moisture or smother the alfalfa. 
The soil which seems best suited to alfalfa is well- 
drained light loam, although we have grown it here on 
the station farm in a comparatively stiff clay; even in 
such soil the roots penetrated more than two feet. 
We generally cut when in full bloom, and the yield has 
been from a ton to a ton and a half per acre of the air- 
dried hay. One piece we have was seeded in 1893, 
cut the first time in 1894, and has been cut from three 
to four times every season since. We use it green 
and as hay. In curing we treat it exa(5lly as we do 
clover. We regard it as having the greatest value for 
us as a soiling crop, as it gives a large quantity of 
green feed from a comparatively small area, and is 
particularly valuable, as it comes very early and also 
gives us a cutting very late in the season. 

* ' It seems fairly permanent after being well started, 
but we have experienced trouble in top-dressing it 
with manure which contained orchard-grass seeds, as 
these came up and crowded considerable of the alfalfa 
out. We have not given alfalfa very much of a test 
in the way of pasturing, but used it one season for 
ewes with lambs, and it appeared to endure the pastur- 
ing very well. 

' ' The only enemy we have had trouble with was 



IN THK DIFFKRKNT STATES 1 25 

on one piece seeded in very stiff clay ground that was 
quite wet, and while it made a good start and a good 
stand, yet, after the first cutting and the second 
growth started up flourishingly, two or three days of 
hot, sultry weather brought a blight which killed it 
off entirely. This only occurred once, about eleven 
years ago. I would not consider it quite so good as 
red clover, from the fadl that the animals do not seem 
as fond of it, but other features make it a more desir- 
able soiling crop for us." 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Prof. W. P. Brooks, of the station at Amherst, 
writes: ''I do not think alfalfa has been tried suffi- 
ciently to determine whether it is a success or not. 
Though results have been discouraging, we are still 
experimenting. The cause of failure is not in all cases 
the same, but the following have been observed to 
exercise a very injurious effec5l: First, too much water 
in the subsoil, due to injudicious selecflion of locality. 
Second, the severity of our winter and early spring 
weather without snow. Third, a rust or blight which 
kills most of the leaves early in summer, making the 
yield very small and of little value. A soil perfectly 
drained, with its water-table well below the surface and 
of a medium texture, gives best results. Before seed- 
ing the preceding crops must have left the land free 
from weeds or weed seeds. The preparation must be 
as thorough as for any other small crop. Seeding is 
done in early spring, either broadcast or in drills eight 
to ten inches apart, using twelve to twenty pounds per 
acre. Hand- weeding, whether planted broadcast or in 



126 AI^FALFA 

drills, seems to be in most all cases necessary, as the 
plants grow slowly at first, and in our humid climate 
with frequent rains would be choked out or greatl}^ 
weakened by weeds on almost all soils. When sown in 
drills hand-cultivators have been run between the rows. 
Cutting is done when in early bloom, and generally not 
more than two crops per year, as the blight or rust 
above alluded to checks the growth considerably. It 
is best cured in cocks and is stored in a barn as other 
hay. 

* ' It appears to be usually rather short-lived. As 
so far grown here it commonly loses its vitality to such 
an extent as to become unprofitable after three or four 
years. Pasturing has not been tried. Severe cold of 
winter and early spring at times when we have no rain- 
fall is, I believe, one of the causes which weaken the 
plant. On suitable soils the climate is seldom either so 
dry or so wet, and never so hot as to injure well-estab- 
lished alfalfa. Pracftically the only enemy of impor- 
tance is the parasitic fungus or rust above alluded to. 
When this appears it seems to be best to cut the crop 
at once. Cutting apparently tends to check its increase, 
and the new growth starts promptly. Alfalfa has not 
been produced in such quantities as to have established 
a place for itself in popular estimation, but is known, 
however, to be a valuable fodder. ' ' 

MINNESOTA 

W. M. Hays, of the station at St. Anthony Park, 
says alfalfa in Minnesota has generally been a failure. 
There is one exception, which he notes below. The 
cause of failure is inability to withstand the severe 



IN THK DIFFKRENT STATES 1 27 

winters and to start well when first planted in cold, 
moist soils, in the springtime. They are finding some 
hardy varieties, which it is hoped will prove more suc- 
cessful in the future. They have experimented on 
heavy, medium, and light soils, and on light soils with 
standing water ten feet below the surface. The seed- 
bed has been prepared in various ways, generally 
planted early in the spring, with nurse-crop, without 
nurse-crop, broadcast, and in drills. It has been cul- 
tivated, hand-weeded, and even planted with a sort of 
listing contrivance. At the experiment station it has 
generally lived one or two years, then, with an open 
winter, part or nearly all dies out. A suitable stand 
to afford a yield has not been secured, with two excep- 
tions. The cutting was done when in early blossom, 
and two or three light cuttings obtained on those plots 
which had best withstood the winters. They have 
not tried pasturing alfalfa; it stands the dry, hot sum- 
mer, but not wet, cold springs or cold winters. No 
plant or insert enemies have as yet been encountered, 
and what experience they had in feeding has been sat- 
isfadlory. It is believed that alfalfa will yet be found 
useful in Minnesota, but it must come through finding 
hardier varieties. 

Prof. Thomas Shaw expresses the opinion that past 
failures do not prove conclusively that alfalfa will not 
yet be successfully grown in wide areas of Minnesota. 
' ' The same want of success followed the first attempt 
to grow clover. Certain trials have been made near 
I^ake Minnetonka, in which it has been ascertained 
that alfalfa grown from acclimated seed will succeed 
much better than that produced by seed grown far- 
ther south, This will mean that alfalfa seed should 



128 AI.FAI.FA 

be sowed where it can be grown for further sowing. 
In this way the plant will become so acclimated that 
on suitable soils it may be grown with much regularity 
and certainty. " ■ 

MISSISSIPPI 

W. L. Hutchinson, diredtor of the Mississippi sta- 
tion, vSays: "Very little alfalfa has been planted in 
this state except in this immediate vicinity. Col. W. 
B. Montgomery, of Starkville, has about 200 acres, 
which is probably much the largest area found on any 
one farm in the state. It is planted on second bottom, 
with an alluvial soil and plenty of lime. It has suc- 
ceeded as well as could be desired. Wherever the 
land was thoroughly drained it has done well, at least 
for a while, but at present we have no alfalfa on the 
station farm, though we had some twenty-five or thirty 
acres at one time. I believe about the only thing that 
interferes with the crop in this state is that in the 
spring our soil gets very wet — saturated, in fa(5l — and 
wherever it remains so for a week the alfalfa is killed. 
Give us deep, thorough drainage, and I have no doubt 
but alfalfa will do well in all parts of the state. We 
have a large area of alluvial land between Memphis 
and Vicksburg, known as the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, 
where the soils are from five to forty-five feet deep, 
and of the very best material, which once was surface 
soil somewhere. If this land is properly drained for 
alfalfa it probably would be as widely known for its 
wonderful produ(5liveness of this crop as it is known 
for its cotton produdlion. Outside of this sedlion are 
large areas of creek bottom and valley that are similar 
in every respect. ' ' 



IN "THK DIFFKRKNT STATES 1 29 

The Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station 
Bulletin No. 44 says of alfalfa: *'We have invari- 
ably secured better results from fall than spring seed- 
ing. If possible it should be sown in August or Sep- 
tember, at the rate of twenty pounds per acre. On 
account of the long drouths we have had for the past 
few years it has been very difficult to get the land in 
the proper condition and the seed sown at the proper 
time. In the fall of 1896 we could not seed our land 
until Odlober 31 for the above reason, and as a result 
of the late planting we got only two cuttings for hay 
last summer, when we should have had three heavy 
cuttings and one or two lighter ones, but the pasturage 
we had from this field compensated in a measure for 
the small hay yield. This meadow furnished excel- 
lent grazing for the dairy cows during November and 
December. Great care should be taken in turning 
cattle or sheep on an alfalfa pasture, for the reason 
that this plant when young and tender, or if wet from 
rains or heavy dews, will bloat them. It does not 
bloat horses or hogs, and hogs will keep in good con- 
dition on alfalfa pasture with little other feed. When 
cattle or sheep are to be put on an alfalfa meadow they 
should be well fed and watered, and allowed to remain 
on the meadow only a few hours at first. With this 
precaution, there will be little danger of bloat. 

W. B. Montgomery writes that alfalfa is a success 
on their black, deeply drained limestone soil. "The 
land should be prepared by deep plowing and thorough 
pulverization. Sow broadcast or in drills, twenty 
pounds per acre, in the spring. Use a mower to keep 
the weeds back, and in a favorable season a light crop 
of hay may be expedted the first year. After being 



130 AI.FAI.FA 

well started four or five crops each year may be had. 
Cut when in bloom, rake into windrows when well 
wilted, cock the following day and leave until fit to put 
in stacks or barn, which will be onl}^ a day or so. 
Alfalfa is permanent when well started on well-drained 
land unless pastured by heavy stock in wet weather. 
It may be pastured by light stock except when very 
wet. Dry fall seasons make the late cuttings much 
lighter than the earlier ones. As a food for all kinds 
of stock it is regarded as having no equal. ' ' 

MISSOURI 

H. J. Waters, dean of the Missouri station, says: 
' ' Alfalfa has been tried many years in various portions 
of this state, and while not fair to say that it will not 
succeed in special localities, and quite generally along 
the western border, especially in the northwest, it does 
not appear from our observations and experience that 
it will prove a profitable crop in most portions of Mis- 
souri. We are not yet satisfied as to the exacft cause 
of this failure; in fadl, it may be attributed to a 
number of causes. On the stiff clay soils the hard-pan 
is rather too near the surface to allow alfalfa to root 
deeply enough. On one or two occasions we have had 
a good stand ruined on such soils by too much rain in 
early summer. Tile-draining does not seem to remedy 
this, as we have tested it on a piece of the same kind 
of land thoroughly drained, with the same results. 
Again, the alternate freezing and thawing in early 
spring, especially when the soil is saturated with 
water, is very injurious. Our people find it difiicult 
to secure a good stand and to follow an}^ pracftical plan 
that will hold the weeds in check until the alfalfa 



IN THK DIFFKRKNT STATES 131 

plants have been thoroughly established. This, how- 
ever, is not an insurmountable difficulty, and would 
not operate if we were sure of a permanent stand, or a 
good stand for a number of years after it was once 
obtained. But for the farmer to be at considerable 
expense and labor to get a stand that is likely to perish 
in one or two years, even under the best treatment, 
does not appear to be profitable. On the station 
grounds we have cut two good crops and one -half crop 
per year for two or three years, but have not had what 
we could call a good stand to last through any long 
period. As a feed we consider alfalfa hay superior to 
red clover. It is a source of deep regret that we do not 
succeed better with it, and we intend to continue our 
efforts. It is likely that we shall be vSUccessful on open 
sandy soils, but they are usually our best bottom-lands, 
and could be more profitably kept in corn and wheat; 
so, for the present at least, such lands will not be 
generally available for alfalfa." 

MONTANA 

Prof. S. M. Emery, for many years diredlor of the 
Montana Experiment Station, writes: "Alfalfa fields 
in Yellowstone County have been mown for sixteen 
consecutive years. It has been tested in many of the 
counties, and under proper sele(?tion of soil has usually 
succeeded remarkably well. When not successful it 
has usually been where, from irrigation, the water-table 
has been forced upward or was too near the surface. 
Alfalfa has succeeded best on second bench-lands — that 
is, the second rise of land from the ordinary bottom- 
lands bordering streams. Irrigated lands are desirable, 
especially in the first years of the plant. L<ands un- 



132 ALFALFA 

derlaid with gravel subsoil are good for alfalfa. Slopes 
on which the winter snows lie best are good fields. 
Locations to be avoided are such as hold water too 
near the surface or on the surface, especially as the 
ground is freezing in the fall. Preparation should be 
thorough; alfalfa (to be irrigated) should never be 
sown until the soil is perfedlly mellowed by cultiva- 
tion, and leveled by cutting off the knolls and ridges 
and filling the depressions — a bringing up of the sur- 
face of the soil to a general plane. This is to facilitate 
irrigation (and it does not matter if the irrigation be 
natural or artificial, as the necessity is even greater to 
distribute rainfall evenly than artificially applied 
water) and harvesting. 

' ' When one sows an alfalfa meadow it should be 
remembered that many years are likely to elapse before 
it is to be plowed up; that twice or thrice each season 
expensive machinery is likely to traverse it, and that 
rough land is destrudlive to all machinery. 

"In Montana, under irrigation, I would seed to 
barley. In Kansas I would have clean, straight alfalfa 
on the land and no other crop. A ' nurse-crop ' is a 
misnomer; a good nurse does not take the food and 
drink out of the mouth of the helpless charge, and that 
is what is done when the so-called ' nurse-crop ' is 
sown with the legumes. On a rich soil, and with irri- 
gation, we get in Montana a fine stand with barlej^ 
supplying two irrigations to the growing crop of grain, 
and follow the harvest, from August loth to September 
ist, with a third irrigation. Thus treated the alfalfa 
will make a stubble-growth of twelve inches by freez- 
ing-up time, and gives fine pasturage. We sow broad- 
cast with a hand-seeder J from May ist to 15th, fifteen 



IN THK DIFFERENT STATES 133 

pounds to the acre, harrow very lightly, across the 
drill-marks, and, if grain has been sown, with a Scotch 
harrow. We are indifferent to the effe(5ls of late frost 
upon the young plants. If sown with barley, as 
stated, we pasture the meadow or grain stubble; if 
sown by itself and irrigated, we cut two tons to the 
acre; if in June the field sown with alfalfa alone is 
weedy, we run a mower over it, with the cutter set 
low; then irrigate as soon as plants will bear the appli- 
cation of water without the soil baking. 

' ' We begin mowing the first crop as soon as the first 
few blooms begin to show; in cutting thus early we 
* make up on our codfish what we lose on our mack- 
erel,' as the second cutting comes that much earlier. 
We cut twice, and in the lower valleys three times. 
The yield is from two to seven tons per acre, depend- 
ing on age of meadow, stand, water-supply, etc. Five 
tons would be a fair estimate of the Montana yield. 
The bulk of alfalfa in Montana is cut under contra(5l. 
The owners mow the meadow, and contradlors take it 
in the swath and put into stacks for from 75 cents 
to 90 cents per ton. Hay outfits working on modern 
lines run three men, five horses, and a hay-stacker, 
and it is estimated that stacking forty tons is a day's 
work for such an outfit. About half a ton of hay is 
brought to the stack out of the swath upon a low- 
running * go-devil ; ' this is so construcfted that it is 
tilted by a system of ropes and pulleys up and onto the 
stack; very little hand-fork work is done, and the old 
hay-wagon is relegated to the rear. Mowers begin 
running as soon as the dew is off, say at 9.30 or 10 a.m. 
Hay lies in the swath until 2 p.m. if it is clear and dry, 
as it usually is at haying-time. A two-horse rake 



134 ALFALFA 

then rakes and roughly cocks it by running length- 
wise of the windrows and pulling into bunches. These 
are left, if the weather is fair, until the next day when 
the dew is dried off; the stacker, or wagons (where 
stackers are not employed) , are brought into requisition, 
and the hay stored away or stacked, as the case may 
be. Whenever smart pressure in wringing a wisp of 
hay does not bring sap to the outside of the twisted 
rope of hay it is fit to stack. It lies so loosely that the 
air will circulate through the common stack, contain- 
ing eight to ten tons. As soon as the crop is off the 
ground the meadow is hurriedly irrigated, and in three 
to four weeks thereafter may be again mowed. 

' * On lands in which the water-table is from ten to 
thirty feet below the surface, alfalfa fields seem to be 
permanent. Great care is exercised to not irrigate in 
the late fall, especially after August. Alfalfa fields 
after two to three years old are always pastured in fall 
and winter, after the hay season is past, mainly by 
sheep and lambs. I would not keep stock on land 
after it is thawed out in spring for two reasons : First, 
the ground would be too soft ; second, after the new 
growth is started it would not be economical to graze 
at all. Excessive dry weather in the absence of irriga- 
tion would be destrudlive, especially to the young 
meadows. It is thought that once it is strongly estab- 
lished that it will stand severe drouth, with a dimin- 
ished yield as the only result. Hot and windy weather 
is detrimental unless the land be damp from irrigation. 
Wet weather works no hardships between early spring 
and August 30th, except as it might retard haying 
operations. Cold weather does no injury if the plant is 
well ripened up, especially the crown. With the ground 



IN THK DIFFKRKNT STATES 1 35 

full of moisture, cold, frosty mornings in October or in 
April will bark-burst the roots of the alfalfa, as it will 
apple trees. 

" Animal enemies are prairie-dogs, pocket-gophers, 
and ground-squirrels. These are not likely to injure 
the alfalfa field except to feed down the tender shoots 
on irrigated fields, as they are drowned out by water. 
This is especially true of prairie-dogs and squirrels. 
Ground-squirrels in fields not irrigated or on knolls 
above irrigation prey upon the roots, and the mounds 
thrown up by them dull the sickle-blades and wreck 
mowers. For all of these pests sulphide of carbon is 
a sovereign cure. We follow the rodents to their holes, 
put one-half teaspoonful of the chemical into a dried 
horse-ball (dung), roll into the hole, and at once close 
the hole with a shovel of earth. They are quickly 
suffocated by the fumes arising from the carbon. 

' ' An army cutworm ( Cheriza quotis aquestis) has 
been a cause of loss to alfalfa fields in western Mon- 
tana. Remedies: Where ditches can be filled with 
irrigating water, plow them deep with sharp banks and 
fill with water. Large numbers can thus be drowned. 
In the absence of water cut fresh clover or alfalfa, dip 
in water containing one pound of Paris green to fifty 
gallons of water and strew across their path on the 
plowed field. 

' ' Dodder is an enemy to alfalfa. When found near 
the infested area, let the hay cure well, and burn on the 
ground where it grew. 

''Alfalfa is a valuable food, depending upon the 
harvest period and method of curing. If cut just as it 
begins to bloom, and if it is so handled that the leaves 
are preserved on the stem, there can be no better forage 



136 AI.FAI.FA 

crop for fowls, swine, sheep, cattle, and horses. If 
allowed to stand until the stem has become woody, and 
is then handled so little reaches the stack except the 
woody stems, it is a trifle better than hazelbrush and 
not so good as bright oat straw or wheat hay cut a 
little green. Alfalfa has great value to all lands pre- 
disposed to alkali. This works in a twofold way. If 
alfalfa can be sown on land prior to the alkali develop- 
ing to where it encrusts upon the surface it will pre- 
vent incrustation or crystalization of the alkali by 
shading the surface of the ground. Again, alfalfa 
takes up a large per cent, of alkali into the plant; ten 
times more alkali salts are present in alfalfa-ash grown 
on alkali land than is found in plants produced where 
there is no alkali. Chemical analyses have proved 
this." 

NEBRASKA 

Mr. S. P. Baker, of Curtis, Frontier County, in 
southwestern Nebraska, writes: "Seventeen years ago 
I heard about alfalfa, and sent to San Francisco for 
my first seed, which I sowed, ten pounds to the acre, 
on ' bench '-land; that first field is standing to-day, 
vigorous as ever. I have eighteen acres that I have 
had for five years on sandy ' bottom ' and dark loam 
* second bottom. ' The soil is the same to a depth of 
two to five feet, and bears evidence of being washed 
from the hills. On the ' table ' or ' bench ' land 
water is 160 to 240 feet from the surface, on the 
' bottom ' thirty two feet, and on ' second bottom ' 
fifty feet. On well-cultivated land deep plowing is 
sufiicient preparation, and seeding may be done as 
soon as the frost leaves the ground. The best 



IN THE DIFFERENT STATES 1 37 

results are obtained by sowing thirty pounds of seed 
to the acre, cross-sowing both ways, using a hand- 
flyer, and putting in a bushel of barley to the acre 
with it. During the first season the crop should be 
cut as often as the weeds grow higher than the alfalfa. 
I have never irrigated. Last year I had three cuttings, 
averaging six tons to the acre, and I used the fourth 
crop for hog- feed, with a small quantity of corn, allow- 
ing the young pigs to run on it until they were 
about four months old. The hay is cut when the 
plants are in full bloom, and it will cure in twenty- 
four hours of dry, hot weather. I stack it the same 
as native hay and top it with native hay, as alfalfa 
does not turn water well. The yield of hay is 
double that of clover here. The alfalfa has made 
excellent pasture for all kinds of stock, especially 
swine, and we think will produce more than any 
grass or other clover. Some care should be taken 
in turning on stock-cattle when very hungry, lest 
they bloat. The native grasses are failing us quite 
rapidly here, and nothing seems to supply our wants 
but alfalfa. This year it has been growing stead- 
ily, while every other grass, grain, and vegetable 
has failed, and those negledling to plant it have dis- 
covered their error. Many have had to give up their 
hogs on account of the hot, dry weather, causing a 
failure of the corn crop, while, if they had had alfalfa, 
they could have held the stock over. There is con- 
siderable difficulty in ridding land of the plant, but a 
very strong team can plow it under. It is the best 
crop to preserve the strength of the land that I have 
known in my experience. ' ' 

S. W. Stilgebauer, of Red Willow County, says: 



138 AI.FAI.FA 

' ' I have raised alf afa for the past eight years, and 
find it the most profitable crop that I have ever raised. 
Last year I cut, for seed, forty acres; had it thrashed, 
and sold the seed for $1 ,131.25, and made a good crop 
of hay after the seed was cut. This year I will cut 
fifty acres for seed, and it will bring me $1,500. 
Everything else here is killed by the dry weather, and 
alfalfa is to us who have it as a bank-account for a 
dry year. ' ' 

NEW JERSEY 

Edward B. Voorhees, director of the agricultural 
experiment station, says: "Alfalfa has been given a 
sufficient trial to determine its success as a green for- 
age and as hay. Success depends more than anything 
else upon the characfter of the soil, method of seeding, 
and treatment of the plant the first year. In ordinar- 
ily good seasons here, four cuttings are obtained, the 
first about the 20th of May. We usually have a dry 
spell, or it would be possible to get five crops. In 
1899 the yield of green forage per acre was 20.2 tons, 
containing an equivalent in protein of that contained , 
in six tons of average wheat bran. It is valued as a 
food largely because of its richness in protein, thus 
enabling the farmer to raise a large proportion of the 
feed necessary for the dairy. In 1900 the field at the 
college farm yielded nine tons of green forage at the 
first cut, and the second cut, just now made into hay, 
but not hauled and weighed, is estimated to be between 
one and a half and two tons. Its permanence depends 
largely upon the thickness of seeding and the start 
gained the first year. The area now in alfalfa at the 
college farm is in the third year, and is much better 



IN the: different states 139 

than any previous year. I can give no positive infor- 
mation as to whether it will endure pasturing here, as 
I know of no farmers who have used it for that pur- 
pose. We have not yet observed that alfalfa has here 
any insedl enemies, although the last growth in Sep- 
tember or 0(5lober is oftentimes checked by a fungus 
which spots the leaves. This does not seem to injure 
the growth the next year, hence nothing has yet been 
done in regard to it." 

NEW MEXICO 

Prof. Fabian Garcia, of the experiment station of 
New Mexico, says alfalfa is a success, and the facftor 
which seems to determine its greatest success is the 
soil rather than location; a deep and rich loamy soil 
seems best. A very fine seed-bed should be prepared. 
Drill in the last of January or the first of February, 
fifteen to twenty pounds to the acre. 

"We irrigate to promote germination, and then 
irrigate again before the first cutting. Usually it is 
cut when about one foot high, to get rid of the weeds. 
After this cutting is hauled away the field is irrigated 
again, and sometimes it is irrigated before being cut 
the second time. The first year the alfalfa is cut about 
twice, and sometimes, when all conditions are very 
favorable for growth, three times. After the first 
season the cuttings are made when the alfalfa is about 
in full bloom. The fourth cutting is left until the 
weather begins to freeze. On an average, alfalfa 
yields one ton per acre at a cutting. After the alfalfa 
is cut it is allowed to lie on the ground till the third 
day, when it is raked, and this is done in the forenoon. 
If yet too green to stack or bale, it is left in the wind- 



I40 AI.FAI.FA 

row, or it may be cocked and left for a day or more. 
However, if it is dry enough it is stacked or baled, as 
the case may be. It is always best to rake in the fore- 
noon, because the leaves stay on better. After being 
well started alfalfa lives for a long time. There are 
fields in this vicinity that were seeded fifty years ago, 
and to-day they are producing as heavy crops as the 
newer fields. It endures pasturing well if frequently 
irrigated. Dry and hot weather does not affedl it 
when there is sufficient water to irrigate with. We 
have but very little wet weather, and it has no notice- 
able effedl on growth. Cold weather stunts the alfalfa 
very much, especially in the spring, after it has started 
to grow. Aside from cold spells in the late spring, 
the cold weather does not injure the alfalfa. So far 
the alfalfa has no serious enemies. The grasshopper 
is the only one mentionable for its depredations, and 
these invaders are infrequent, and nothing is done to 
check them. Alfalfa is considered the most highly 
valued and economical forage for the farmers of the 
territory." 

NEW YORK 

Alfalfa does not appear to be as yet much of a 
fadlor in the agriculture of New York. Prof. I. P. 
Roberts, of Cornell University, says: "The attempt 
to raise alfalfa in New York has not always been suc- 
cessful. It seems that in some localities it thrives well; 
in others it appears to be a failure, and its failure is 
apparently due to uncongenial conditions of the sub- 
soil. During the last five years many farmers have 
tried small areas. Some speak very highly of it, 
others have not been successful. The experiment 



IN the; diffkrknt statks 141 

station at Geneva has a field of five acres, and they 
speak highly of it. Heretofore, red clover has been 
successful, and it has generally been the opinion of 
the farmers that where red clover would produce two 
good crops per year, it was not wise to attempt to 
raise alfalfa. The wheat farmers especially prize the 
red clover because it prepares the ground so admirably 
after it is either one or two years old for winter wheat 
and also corn. Red clover has failed so often within 
the last few years in this state that many farmers have 
attempted to substitute alfalfa for it. Many parts of 
New York, I think, are too cold for alfalfa, and I am 
sure in many localities the subsoil is not congenial. ' ' 

M. H. H., Steuben County, N. Y., writes in Rural 
New Yorker: " In the spring of 1899 I sowed one acre 
of fertile clay loam corn stubble, after an excellent 
preparation with Clark's cutaway and spring- tooth 
harrows, sowed to oats, seeding down with one-half 
bushel of alfalfa and six quarts of timothy. The growth 
of grass seeding was light at harvest, owing to dry, 
hot weather, but later rains gave the alfalfa a fine 
growth ahead of the red clover in the rest of the field, 
which had been killed considerably, especially after 
the oats were harvested. I pastured lightly with 
sheep, and it went into winter with a fine promise of a 
crop this year. But I was doomed to disappointment: 
it all lay with its foot-long roots on top of the ground. 
It could not be the exposed situation, as some sheltered 
but arid land shared the same fate. It might have 
been different under a more favorable winter. As a 
dry- weather plant it proved a grand success, but as a 
winter plant on our hills it was a dismal failure. ' ' 

''Alfalfa grows well in the fine alluvial lands of the 



142 ALFAI^FA 

broader valleys of Wyoming County," says O. V^. 
Royce, in Ai7ie7'ica7i Agriculturist. ' * It should be sown 
in the spring on wheat, the same as red clover, and 
should be brushed in with a weeder and rolled. After 
wheat harvest the alfalfa will stool out, and should be 
cut with a mowing-machine about September 20th. It 
may be cured for hay or fed green as a soiling crop. 
It should be cut when in bloom, which in this latitude 
is about June 20th, August ist, and September 20th to 
25th. With a good stand it will yield three tons per 
acre at the first cutting, two at the second, and one and 
one-half at the third. After the third cutting, if the 
weather be mild, there should be some after-feed for 
the cows or sheep, letting them on only in the middle 
of the day when it is dry, and not allowing them to 
remain too long at first. 

"When cutting alfalfa begin at three o'clock in the 
afternoon, and rake and cock the next day before the 
dew dries off. Turn once or twice without opening, 
then open to the air and draw. An alfalfa meadow 
should last five to ten years, and may be made perma- 
nent by proper treatment. Alfalfa is an excellent 
soiling crop, and, fed with silage, is a good milk pro- 
ducer. ' ' 

Charles Mills, Onondaga County, N. Y., writes to 
the editors of Country Ge7itleman : 

' ' The increase of alfalfa has been steadily from the 
single acre to thousands in the county. It is just be- 
coming the leading forage or hay crop. 

* * It has been provea it will stand a drouth where 
everything else fails to give satisfacSlory crops. Tim- 
othy sown with it will yield more timothy hay than 
when sown alone, and it does not interfere with a 



IN THE) DIFFKRKNT STATES 1 43 

heavy growth of alfalfa. It helps hold up the alfalfa, 
and aids in curing it, as the timothy dries first. 
This mixture improves the quality of the hay, espe- 
cially for horses. In the Syracuse market it is readily 
bought by the horsemen, and usually brings within 
one dollar a ton as much as clear timothy. 

* ' I have seen fields this year, during a severe 
drouth, yield three tons to the acre at the first cut- 
ting, and half as much at the second cutting. Instead 
of cutting the third time, the October and November 
growth is pastured. It has been found this does no 
harm, if the ground is firm. The pasturing should 
not be too close, if it is desired to mow the following 
year. 

' ' It is a complete exterminator of Canada thistles. 
In sight of my place is a field, part of which is timothy 
and clover, which is covered with thistles, while the 
alfalfa part is clear of them, after cutting for two 
years. 

' ' The methods of seeding are various . I have seeded 
with one and a half bushels of oats, using six quarts 
of alfalfa and four quarts of timothy; harrowed and 
rolled after seeding. Some seed on winter wheat. If 
this is done, do not sow as early as is often done with 
clover, and when sown the ground should be harrowed 
with a smoothing-harrow. A clean bed is desired. A 
corn-field or potato ground which has been well tilled 
makes a desirable seed-bed. It can be sown alone or 
with a light seeding of oats or barley. The soil should 
be free from standing water during the winter. It 
does the best on a soil without hard-pan. It roots 
deep and will stand a drouth, for the reason that it 
will find the moisture, If ground is drained with tile 



144 ALFAI.FA 

or stone ditches that have a stream of water running 
in the drains during dry weather, it will fill them with 
rootlets and clog the drains. I have at a depth of six 
feet had it shut off a water supply to a water-ram. 
Had every farm a supply of alfalfa, it would be worth 
millions of dollars to this country. I have no failures 
to report. ' ' 

NORTH CAROLINA 

Prof. B. Irby, agriculturist of the agricultural 
college, writes of alfalfa in North Carolina, saying: 
" lyUcerne does very poorly for this state, generally 
speaking; but in the stiff red soils in the middle sedlion 
I have seen a magnificent crop grow on the same land 
for years in succession, being cut as many as five times 
in one year, and making a heavy yield of hay besides 
affording some pasture. On our sandy lands it does 
practically nothing. I have sown it here on the 
college farm several times, but have met with little 
encouragement. I would not recommend it to our 
farmers generally. No enemies to speak of have been 
developed here, as very little has been grown." 

NORTH DAKOTA 

Prof. J. H. Shepperd, of the agricultural college, 
says: " A number of trials with alfalfa have been made 
in this state in addition to those made at the station, and 
we have not heard of any one who has made a pronounced 
success with it. The difficult}^ seems to have come 
from failure to obtain a stand. At the station the 
failure is attributed to the soil and subsoil being very 
heavy and difficult to penetrate. Superintendent Hover- 
stadt, of the Crookston station, put it very well con- 



IN THK DIFFKRKNT STATKS 1 45 

cerning his alfalfa when he said that ' it neither lived 
nor died' — that is, it lives in little patches and 
bunches, and never makes a stand and never all kills 
out." 

OHIO 

Prof. Charles B. Thorne, diredlor of the station at 
Wooster, writes: " The results of experiments at this 
station with alfalfa have been chiefly negative. When 
we sowed it on the rich bottom-lands of the farm we 
occupied at Columbus the weeds choked it out, and 
what has been sown here was on thin soil, with rock 
but a few feet from the surface, and the growth has 
been slow and unsatisfa(ft:ory. I apprehend, however, 
that the difficulty has been rather in our management 
than in the nature of the plant, for it has been very 
successfully grown by Mr. J. K. Wing, of Mechanics- 
burg, Champaign County, this state, on the deep, grav- 
elly loams of the glacial drift on which he is situated." 

Mr. Wing says : "I take pleasure in answering 
your questions regarding alfalfa, and assure you that 
it holds its own here as elsewhere as the most valuable 
crop that can be grown. As to its comparative 
adaptability, I will say that last season, one of great 
drouth, we secured a fair stand of alfalfa, while so far 
as I know not one field of clover made a stand in my 
neighborhood. Our alfalfa has stood all inclemencies 
of season, while the meadows of timothy and clover 
have so deteriorated about me that we have been able 
to sell alfalfa hay to neighboring farmers at $12 per 
ton. That would seem a good method of teaching 
them the value of the plant, but the fa(5l is that very 
little is being sown, and we stand pradlically alone in 
growing it in this part of Ohio. 



146 ALFALFA 

' ' Perhaps we have on our farm half of the alfalfa in 
the state. We sow about twenty-five acres yearly and 
plow up as much, generally that which has been sown 
four years. Doubtless we ought not to plow it up. 
Our land is not yet well enough drained, and corners 
and strips winter-kill. We find that stock will destroy 
it if allowed to tramp it in frosty weather, or if they are 
put on it in sufficient numbers to gnaw it down too 
close. If a pasture has in it a small area of alfalfa and 
the rest grass the alfalfa will surely disappear, as the 
animals will not eat much grass when they can get 
alfalfa. Yet, a small proportion of grass in an alfalfa 
pasture is good, as it tends to prevent bloat. We sow 
Bromus inermis as a mixture with alfalfa; the two 
grow well together, and Bromus is a fine pasture grass 
here on good land. It does not seem to be adapted to 
poor soils in Ohio. We pasture with sheep, mainly. 
Last season we lost two per cent. ; this season not one 
thus far. We take them off at 9 a.m., put on again as 
soon as they want to graze, and they remain all night. 
Cattle run on it all the time. ' ' 

OKLAHOMA 

John Fields, direcftor of the Oklahoma station at 
Stillwater, Payne County, says: "Generally speak- 
ing, location seems to determine the success or failure. 
It is difficult to grow alfalfa on extreme upland, while 
on the bottoms, if not too sand}^, it is ver}^ profitable. 
Deep plowing and a thoroughly prepared seed-bed are 
essential. The land should have been in clean culture 
crops for one or two 3^ears before seeding. The great- 
est drawback is the crab-grass, w^hich chokes out the 
alfalfa. We use about twent}^ pounds of seed per acre, 



IN THE) DIFFKRKNT STATKS 1 47 

putting it in with a drill in the spring when the soil is 
in condition. Web- worms and gophers seem to be the 
principal enemies. The former are difficult to com- 
bat; the latter are easily poisoned. Alfalfa is not gen- 
erally understood and appreciated. The tendency is 
to sow, and as soon as it comes up to treat it like a 
patch of sorghum, and turn hogs on it until they kill 
it all, and then say, ' Alfalfa has failed.' It would be 
better if alfalfa in Oklahoma were not pastured at all. 
While it may be pastured without harm if done intelli- 
gently, as a rule we advise against it, for the reason 
that it is nearly always overdone. Our fields on a 
medium upland farm are only partially successful. 
Bunch-grass is making its appearance and seemingly 
crowding the alfalfa out. ' ' 

Station Press Bulletin No. 56 says : " Experience 
with this valuable hay crop has shown that it will 
thrive in many sedlions of Oklahoma, and the acreage 
of it should be increased. A careful survey of the 
reported failures leads to the conclusion that too close 
pasturing has been the usual cause. Many fields of 
alfalfa have been ruined by this method, while fields 
close at hand that have been cut for hay, and pastured 
but little, are in excellent condition. 

' ' Alfalfa has a long tap-root, and will not do well 
on soil with hard-pan close to the surface. It thrives 
best on soils that have been plowed deep and well cul- 
tivated. Early plowing for spring seeding is an ad- 
vantage, as it gives the soil time to settle and become 
filled with moisture before sowing. The seed should 
be sowed as soon as the soil is in good condition in the 
spring. When the plants are about six inches high 
they should be cut with a mower set high, and this 



148 ALFALFA 

Operation repeated at intervals of two or three weeks 
until the weeds are left behind the alfalfa in growth. 
There are some objections to it, and sometimes sowing 
late in August has proven better. If wheat ground is 
plowed earl}^ in July, and the weeds are kept down by 
frequent harrowing, and the seed sown after the soil is 
filled with moisture, a good stand of alfalfa free from 
weeds may be secured. Trials of the Turkestan alfalfa 
imported by the United States Department of Agricul- 
ture are being continued by the station. 

"Three cuttings of one ton per acre each have 
been secured on the station farm at Stillwater, and the 
alfalfa plats at the present time are in good condi- 
tion." 

OREGON 

Prof. James Withycombe, agriculturist of the Ore- 
gon station, says : ' ' The Cascade range of mountains 
divides this state into two separate and distin(5l agri- 
cultural sections as far as climate and soil are con- 
cerned. In the eastern portion the soil is of volcanic 
formation, or largely volcanic ash. The climate is 
dry and semi-arid. Alfalfa with irrigation does re- 
markably well. There are large areas, however, 
that will grow alfalfa without irrigation. In western 
Oregon the soil is mainly alluvial deposits, and the 
climate is humid, with a precipitation of about forty- 
four inches annually. Here alfalfa does not succeed 
or only does so on well-drained land, hence very little 
is grown. In eastern and southern Oregon alfalfa is 
sown in the spring after danger from frost is past. 
The soil is first thoroughly pulverized, and then from 
ten to twenty pounds of seed is sown per acre, broad- 



IN THK DIFFHRKNT STATES 1 49 

cast, and harrowed lightly. It is permitted to grow 
the first season free from molestation in case weeds do 
not prove troublesome. If they do, a mower, set 
rather high, is run over the ground as often as neces- 
sary to keep the weeds in check. The second season 
from two to three crops can be cut on irrigated land. 
Alfalfa should be cut as soon as the blossoms appear, 
as it develops crude fiber quite rapidly after this stage. 
It is cured like clover hay, and is equally as suscep- 
tible to injury by rain. Alfalfa endures pasturing 
pretty closely without suffering material injury. On 
suitable soils it will remain good from ten to twenty 
years. There are no enemies of consequence. I^ittle 
difficulty is experienced from pasturing alfalfa here if 
the precaution is taken to turn the stock in when the 
plant is free from external moisture and the animals 
are not hungry. Alfalfa is valued very highly for 
soiling, silage, hay, or for pasturing. The plant is 
rich in protein, very palatable to stock, and is easily 
digested." 

PKNNSYI^VANIA 

Prof. G. C. Watson, of the state college, thinks 
from the number of inquiries recently received per- 
taining to alfalfa, that it is not well known through- 
out the state. At the station it has been impossible 
to secure a good stand, although trials have been 
made. The alfalfa winter-kills badly the first winter, 
lyimestone clay soil holds too much water, and the 
plants are injured by freezing. It frequently happens 
that during the greater part of the winter the ground 
is covered with snow. Blister-beetles have injured 
alfalfa, vetches, and some other leguminous crops con- 
siderably. 



150 ALFALFA 



RHODE ISI.AND 



J. A. Tillinghast, of the experiment station at 
Kingston, writes: " I think alfalfa has not been tried 
sufficiently in our state to really determine whether it 
is a success or failure. In experiments here we have 
been fairly successful. The soil where grown was a 
sandy loam. We "found that the seed-bed should be 
deep and thoroughly prepared. We seeded in May, 
using a drill, and about fifteen pounds of seed to the 
acre. The first year it was cut but once, at the time 
of blossoming. The second year we made tw^o cut- 
tings. The yield seemed to be about like the ordinary 
yield of clover with us, and we handled it and cured it 
very nearly as we would a clover crop. As to perma- 
nence, it seemed to be about the same as our red clover, 
not winter-killing w^orse unless in places where water 
stood and froze, forming ice. We had no trouble with 
any particular enemies of the plant, with the exception 
of dodder in small quantities. We did not experiment 
with alfalfa as a feed, but I am inclined to think w^here 
we can raise red clover to advantage I would prefer it 
as a feed." 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

J. S. Newman, of the South Carolina Experiment 
Station, says alfalfa succeeds there on well-drained, 
fertile soil, with a dry subsoil. The preparation of 
the seed-bed should be about the same as for turnips. 
Ten pounds of seed per acre should be sown in drills, 
so as to permit of cultivation, after each cutting for 
the first year, especially. Three to six crops per year 
are harvested, depending on the season, giving an 



IN T^HE: DlFFl^RKNT STATERS 151 

average of three tons of hay per acre, " Fields 
twenty-five years old are still in good condition, but 
continuous pasturing is detrimental, as it prevents 
branching. Intermittent pasturing is not injurious." 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

Prof. James H. Shepard, diredlor of the experiment 
station at Brookings, says: ''Alfalfa is not generally 
grown in this state. There are some portions where 
irrigation is pra(5liced that are raising fine crops. In 
the Black Hills I have seen fine fields of irrigated 
alfalfa, in the valleys, which gave from two to three 
heavy crops per year. From one and a half to three 
tons per acre has been obtained at each cutting. The 
ordinary alfalfa does not seem to do well in the eastern 
sec5lion of the state. The dry, cold weather of winter 
seems fatal to the roots. We have great hopes, how^- 
ever, of the Turkestan alfalfa, which has given us very 
goo4 results in small plats, but we have been unable to 
obtain sufficient seed to make large sowings. The 
particular enemies of alfalfa are certain leaf-eating 
inserts, like the spotted blister-beetle. These seem to 
retard the growth by destroying the foliage. With 
patience we hope to accomplish much in the near 
future." 

TENNESSEE 

Andrew M. Soule, of the University of Tennessee, 
at Knoxville, writes: " Having been in the state only 
a year, I have not been able to inform myself fully 
about all the soils and crops, alfalfa being one of the 
crops. There is a great deal of contradi(5lory evidence 
concerning its success. I notice a plot on the station 



152 ALFALFA 

farm that grows vigorously and seems to thrive well on 
our sandy river-bottom soils. It has been known to 
make a yield of two to two and one-half tons of cured 
hay. Of course, we appreciate its feeding value very 
thoroughl}^ It is somewhat difficult to establish a 
stand in this climate, I understand, but there is no 
reason why it should not succeed well, especially on 
our ' second bottom ' lands, and I have every reason to 
believe it will. We will commence extensive experi- 
ments soon to determine a number of points. On a 
neighboring farm there is a very health}^, vigorous 
crop of alfalfa on second bottom-land similar to ours. 
When it has been tried on the heavy red clay of the 
state I believe it has failed in some instances. We 
can, of course, appreciate the reason why. In other 
instances where it has failed I believe it largely due to 
a lack of preparation of the soil and seed-bed. Most 
of the soils of Tennessee have been farmed in a one- 
crop rotation until all the humus has been exhausted. 
In many other instances the land has been washed 
very badly. This has taken all the fiber and life out 
of it, and the result is there is not sufficient vitality in 
the soil to produce a good crop of alfalfa. When green 
crops are plowed under on these lands, as cow-peas, 
and lime and other fertilizers judiciously used, they 
produce immense crops, and we think that when the3" 
are treated in this way and a fine seed-bed prepared 
that they will produce magnificent crops of alfalfa. 
Alfalfa will afford two cuttings easily per year in this 
sedlion of Tennessee. I do not know of any alfalfa 
fields being pastured. Our climate might be termed 
humid through three-fourths of the season. We 
generally have a drouth through part of July, August, 



IX THE DIFFERENT STATES I53 

and September of more or less severity. The rainfall 

of this section is about fifty-four inches per annum. 
We do not know that any insecfl enemies have inter- 
fered with alfalfa. About the only animal that does 
any injur\' is the mole. The value of alfalfa as a feed 
is, of course, unquestioned. We fed it as a green 
soiling crop to our dair>' cows with most satisfactory 
results, and regard it as essential on any dairy farm 
where intensive methods are followed. ' ' 

UTAH 

Mr. O. F. Hunter, of Salt Lake City, writes: 
''Alfalfa has done more for Utah than any other crop, 
being the most profitable that we can raise. I have 
160 acres, and twenty years' experience with it. My 
land is upland loam and gravel soil, very dry from the 
surface down to water, which is reached at a depth of 
twenty- five feet. I prefer to seed in April or May, 
first plowing the ground, sowing oats and harrowing 
in; then sow the alfalfa seed, roll the ground, and 
mark it ofi for irrigating. Twelve pounds of seed to 
the acre is sufficient. The seed crop is harvested, and 
after that there will be a hght crop of cow-feed from 
the alfalfa. As soon as the weather is warm in the 
spring I irrigate from a stream, and after that, when 
the soil has dried, even.- ten da^'s, being sure to apply 
once just before cutting, in order to give the next crop 
a good start. There is no noticeable difference in the 
quantity of water needed the first year and any other, 
only that the more the ground is shaded the longer it 
takes to dr\- out. If water is too near the surface of 
the land, the crop will eventually die out: but it is not 
Uable to winter-kill here. The nearer hard-pan is to 



154 ALFALFA 

the surface the more water is required, and it some- 
times needs to be irrigated every eight daj^s. The 
plant is at its best, usually, in one year from seeding, 
and continues vigorous for ten to fifteen years. There 
are three crops each season, yielding about two and a 
half tons, two tons, and one ton, respecftivel}^ The 
second cutting is sometimes used for seed, but gener- 
ally the first. As soon as the pods turn black, and 
the seed is ripe, it is cut with a common reaper, and 
thrown aside so that the seed will not be run over. 
When it is dr}^, it is thrashed with the ordinary 
thrashing-machine. The hay is cut as soon as it 
blooms, and raked while green into small bunches that 
can be handled in one forkful. It is best stacked 
with open-sided and shingle or lumber topped sheds. 
Bales weighing one hundred pounds are preferred for 
market, and the cost of preparing them is $2.25 a ton. 
The total cost of alfalfa in the stack, on $30 land, is 
about $2 per ton. The hay is better for mutton and 
beef than clover or timoth}^, but it is not so good for 
driving-horses. My alfalfa has been used for feeding 
beef, and I found that I could do as well with it as 
with ha3^ and corn, and the stock are very fond of it. 
It is superior for feeding calves and 3^oung stock, and 
we use it, after it is stacked, for feeding swine. The 
pasturage is better for swine than clover, but it is best 
to cut it and feed it to them. The hay and water will 
keep them growing well. The thrashed straw is worth 
about one-half as much as that cut green for hay 
alone. There is some difficulty in clearing land of the 
plant, because the roots are vSo hard to break up." 



IN THB diffkr:e)nt statks 155 

VERMONT 

J. ly. Hills, diredlor of the station, writes: 
"Alfalfa has hardly been given a sufficient trial to 
determine absolutely whether it will be a success or 
failure. About twelve years ago we tried it at some 
forty-odd places throughout the state with uniform 
failure. We have tried it several years at Burlington, 
and have never been able to get a good stand except 
at the present time, when we have a fairly good stand 
of about three years' growth. A few weeks ago I 
visited an excellent field about twenty miles south of 
Burlington. This was upon a soil very well adapted 
to it, being old orchard soil well drained. I think 
the failures have, as a rule, come from poor choice of 
soil, and more particularly from winter-killing. I am 
inclined to believe that such success as alfalfa has 
attained in this state was due largely to character of the 
soil, to good preparation of the seed-bed, and to careful 
attention the first year." 

WASHINGTON 

F. M. lyowden, Walla Walla: "In twenty-two 
years I have had an experience with from one to four 
hundred acres of alfalfa, on 'bottom,' ' second bottom,' 
and up land, with clay, sand, and loam soils, with sub- 
soil of hard-pan and strong alkali from eighteen to 
twenty inches below the surface, and water at depth 
of eighteen to twenty feet. The soil is seldom moist 
all the way down, the dry soil beginning five to eight 
feet below the surface and ending within two or three 
feet of the water. After plowing deep and harrowing 
well, I sow in the spring, late enough to miss frost, 



156 A1.FAI.FA 

twenty-five to thirty pounds to the acre; then cover in 
hght soil from one to two inches, and in clay soil less. 
During the first season it should be mowed, so that the 
weeds cannot choke it out, and then there will be 
about a ton of hay to the acre to be cut in August. 
I irrigate with water from streams, thoroughly in the 
spring and after each cutting, using enough water to 
to soak the ground for a few days. New land requires 
more w^ater than old, but the quantity needed is about 
the same every year. At three years the plant attains 
its best yields, and with proper care will not need 
reseeding. There are usually three cuttings each sea- 
son, with an average of one and one-half tons to the acre, 
and I have known five cuttings. It is mowed for hay 
when it commences to bloom, and for seed any time be- 
fore the frost comes, the second crop being best for the 
latter use. The seed is mowed, thrashed, and dried as 
any other clover is. The hay should lie before raking 
until it is thoroughly wilted, then cure in cock two or 
three days. We stack in ricks sixteen to eighteen feet 
wide and any desired hight or length. The hay will 
not heat if well cured before stacking. On land 
valued at $40 an acre the cost of hay in the stack is 
about $1.50, and to bale this costs $2 sl ton. The yield 
of seed is five to ten bushels to the acre, and it sells 
for $4.50 to $7.50 a bushel, while hay brings $4 per 
ton. For thrashing, a clover-huller is better than a 
common machine. The alfalfa straw is of double the 
value of any other straw for feeding. The ha}^ grown 
without irrigation is not so rank as that which is 
watered, and is consequently more valuable as a feed; 
any is better than timothy, and equal to clover for 
cattle, but the seed must form in it to make it valuable 



IN THE) DIFFKRKNT STACKS 1 57 

for working-horses. After cutting three crops in a 
season, I usually use the field in the fall for pasturing 
cattle, and it furnishes nearly double the feed the red 
clover will, acre for acre. For hogs the pasturage is 
much better than clover, and I sow with blue-grass 
and clover on rich ground. For horses and sheep the 
pasturage is better than clover, but causes bloat in 
cattle in the same way. It is difficult to plow up 
alfalfa, but continued cultivation will rid land of it 
when desired." 

WISCONSIN 

Prof. S. M. Babcock, assistant diredlor of the sta- 
tion at Madison, says: "We have had little experi- 
ence with alfalfa at the station, never having more 
than a small plot at one time. I do not think it is 
raised as a forage crop in this state — certainly not to 
any great extent." 

WYOMING 

B. C. Buffum, vice-direcflor of the experiment sta- 
tion at lyaramie, refers to bulletins published by his 
station which give the magnificent results obtained 
with alfalfa in that state. ' ' Its points of advantage 
over other hay crops are, (i), its large yield per acre; 
(2), its hardiness, after getting started, standing 
drouth well; (3), its high nutritive value, any kind of 
stock making flesh and fat upon it without other 
food, and (4) instead of impoverishing the soil it en- 
riches and leaves it in fine condition for any other 
crop, as do the clovers and other leguminous plants. 

' ' Alfalfa does well upon almost any land that will 
produce other crops, providing it is not too wet or 



158 ALFAI.FA 

underlaid with a hard or impervious subsoil. Gener- 
ally it does not do well above 7,000 feet altitude, though 
in sheltered localities in Carbon County it is reported 
as thriving at this altitude, and produces two crops. 
On the Laramie Experiment Farm, situated at about 
7,200 feet altitude, it made a good stand and lived 
through the winter, but the plants did not look 
thrifty and made little growth. Dodder appeared in 
the second year and all was plowed up. 

' ' Irrigation seems to be necessary to make alfalfa 
reach its best development. We cannot recommend it 
for general cultivation in this state where irrigation 
cannot be applied, though when once established it 
takes a great deal of drouth to kill it. It requires 
considerable moisture to germinate the seeds and keep 
the plants growing the first year. For hay, twenty or 
twenty-five pounds of seed to the acre is required, but 
if planted for the production of seed, half this quan- 
tity is sufficient. Sowing oats with the seed is recom- 
mended, as they shade and protect the 3^oung plants. 

' ' The general rule for harvesting all hay crops is 
to cut them at the time of blossoming or soon after. 
It is probable that the time to cut alfalfa to obtain the 
most nutritious hay is when it is budded and just be- 
fore blossoming. This was determined by both chem- 
ical analysis and feeding experiment at the Colorado 
station." 

M. R. Johnston, superintendent of the Wheatland 
Experiment Farm, in writing of alfalfa, says: " June 
20, 1 89 1, one acre on the experiment farm was planted 
to alfalfa, twenty-four pounds of seed being used. 
As the weather was hot and dry the seed did not ger- 
minate, and it was irrigated to bring the plants up. 



IN THK DIPFKRKN'T STATERS 1 59 

During the season of 1892 there were harvested from 
this acre seven tons 1,720 pounds, and in 1893 seven 
tons 1,752 pounds. 

' ' Our experience with alfalfa has demonstrated, I 
think, that we have a natural home for this plant. 
For the arid region I believe it is much superior to 
any other forage plant, being a much more profitable 
crop to grow on our high land than either the native 
blue-stem or grama-grass. I do not dispute that the 
native grasses contain a larger per cent, of nutritious 
matter, but the superior cropping qualities of the 
alfalfa is greatly in its favor. ' ' 

CANADA 

Prof. C. A. Zavitz, of the Experimental Depart- 
ment of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. 
says: "Alfalfa seed has been distributed to farmers 
throughout Ontario during each of the past ten years. 
It is found that in some localities and on some farms 
the alfalfa proves quite successful, while in others it is 
sometimes a total and sometimes a partial failure. 
The cause of the failure seems to be poor seed, killing 
out the first winter, and unfavorable conditions of sub- 
soil. A medium or elevated location appears to be 
best. The character of the top-soil does not seem to 
exert as much influence as that of the subsoil; the 
best results are frequently obtained where the subsoil 
is a gravelly or sandy loam, and is naturally well 
underdrained. Alfalfa starts well on land which has 
had potatoes, corn, roots, or rape the previous year. 
The land should not be plow^ed after these crops are 
harvested, but be thoroughly cultivated. Alfalfa is 
sown eighteen to twenty pounds per acre, in the fall 



l6o AlyFAl^FA 

and in the spring, with or without grain crops, at each 
season, but the best results are obtained by sowing in 
the spring either alone or with a light seeding of 
grain. About one bushel of barley per acre makes an 
admirable nurse-crop, and at the same time gives a 
very good yield of grain. During the first year, if 
sown alone, a mowing-machine is usually run over to 
cut the weeds. If sown with grain no special treat- 
ment is necessary after the grain is cut. It is advis- 
able, as a rule, not to pasture the first year, although 
in exceptional circumstances, when the growth is un- 
usually large, it might be pastured to a limited extent. 
Thorough experiments in determining yield per acre 
and digestibility by feeding to sheep show that the 
best results are obtained by cutting when the plants 
are about one-third in blossom. One lot of alfalfa for 
five years gave an average of three cuttings per year, 
there being four cuttings one year, two cuttings 
another year, and three cuttings in each of the other 
three years. The average yield was from seventeen to 
twent)^ tons of green hay per acre annually. 

* ' In curing great care must be taken not to allow 
it to lie in the hot sun too long and dry the leaves so 
that they will fall off. It is permanent after being 
well started, as farmers have alfalfa that has grown 
for about twelve years in succession without being 
reseeded; but it does not seem to endure pasturing 
ver}^ well, as animals eat very close to the crown of 
the plant. The alfalfa seems to thrive best in warm 
weather, with frequent showers. Although affedled 
by the hot, dry weather of the summer, it is not as 
greatly influenced as most other plants with shorter 
roots. If they have a luxuriant growth early in the 



IN THE^ DIFFERENT STATES l6l 

Spring, followed by a frost, the plants seem to be 
injured more than those of red clover or alsike clover. 
The greatest source of trouble with alfalfa seems to be 
from crowding by weeds, especially the first year, if 
sown by itself. Even after it is well established the 
crop is sometimes pretty badly crowded out by the 
Candanian blue-grass {^Poa compressa) . 

' * There is risk when pasturing the crop alone. I 
have known within fifteen months three instances in 
which cattle have died while pasturing on alfalfa, and 
in nearly all cases the animals have been pastured in 
the same field for some time. When alfalfa is sown 
with grasses for a permanent pasture there does not 
seem to be the same danger from pasturing on it. ' ' 



GENERAL INDEX 



Alfalfa as a honey plant .... 63, 84 
Alfalfa in: 

Arizona 102 

Arkansas 103 

California 104 

Canada 159 

Colorodo 107 

Delaware 108 

Georgia 109 

Idaho 110 

Illinois 112 

Iowa 113 

Indiana 114 

Kansas 115 

I,ouisiana. . 121 

Maine 122 

Maryland 123 

Massachusetts 125 

Minnesota 126 

Mississippi . . . 128 

Missouri 130 

Montana 131 

Nebraska 136 

New Jersey 138 

New Mexico 139 

New York 140 

North Carolina 144 

North Dakota 144 

Ohio 145 

Oklahoma 146 

Oregon 148 

Pennsylvania . . , 149 

Rode Island 150 

South Carolina 150 

South Dakota 151 

Tennessee 151 

Utah 153 

Vermont 155 

Washington 155 

Wisconsin 157 

Wyoming 157 

Alfalfa for: 

Dairy cows 49 

Horses 61 

Pasture 32 

Poultry 62 

Sheep 62 

Soiling 33 

Swine 54 

Alfalfa hay, Feeding value of . . 44 

Alfalfa hay for fattening steers . . 52 

Alfalfa-root rot, a fungus disease 99 



Alfalfa vs. corn 46 

Bacteria, alfalfa's most important 

parasitic friend 98 

Balanced ration, Making a . ... 64 

Botanical position 4 

Climate and soil 16 

Comparative value of alfalfa hay 
and other feedstuffs for pro- 
tein 43 

Description 2 

Disking and harrowing: Often 

essential to success 88 

Beneficial to plant 81 

Destroys 'hoppers eggs .... 79 

Effect on roots and stems .... 83 

Further experiments in ... . 82 

Kills cutworms 84 

Dodder— alfalfa's worst parasitic 

enemy 95 

Feeding alfalfa hay 41 

Feeding scientifically 40 

Feeding standards for farm ani- 
mals 69 

Feedstuffs — digestible nutrients . 68 

Food requirements for alfalfa . . 19 

Gophers, and how to exterminate 92 
Grasshoppers injurious; how to 

destroy 78, 94 

Growth, habits of 6 

Harvesting 34 

History i 

Introductory vii 

lycngth of life 6 

Nurse-crop undesirable 30 

Place in rotation 70 

Prairie-dogs, and how to exter- 
minate ..... 92 

Roots, Penetrating power of . . . 10 

Seed-bed, and its preparation . . 20 

Seed, Germinability of 26 

Seeding, Method of 28 

Seeding, Time of 22 

Seed, Quantity and quality of, for 

sowing 24 

Sheds for alfalfa economical . . . 99 

Soil and climate 16 

Treatment of young alfalfa ... 31 
Turkestan alfalfa— a hardy new 

variety 73 

Varieties 4 

Yields, Comparison of, with other 

tame grasses 38 



163 



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